The World I Know
by CherieAmour
Summary: Jasper's past seems to catch up to him in the form of a girl who makes the Cullens' question what's right&wrong.The line between good&evil seems to be fading,Jasper and Seth are at odds trying to figure out what is best for the greater good.My 1st story!
1. Where we are

It was the longest wait imaginable, Alice found it literally unbearable—and yet speaking up with her frustrations and fears would only heighten the hysteria that was the pink elephant that was filling the spacious living room in the Cullen estate. Alice found herself sitting at the top of the stairs like a child, she ran her hands through her short, thick locks and found herself being relieved that Edward was off on Safari and could not read her mind and all the horrible scenarios within it. She looked down at her family, sitting unnecessarily still trying not to be as loving and affectionate as they wanted to be with their significant others for fear that they would hurt her, they'd been walking on eggshells and treating her like glass since Jasper left almost a week ago and for the life of her Alice couldn't figure out what was worse, the fact for the first time in their relationship she couldn't see him or his future in her visions or that if what she feared was true she would have to remain in a house with all this love and none to call her own. Jasper was her heart, she didn't want to settle for anything less and deep down she wanted to believe that the same for him. She'd be a fool to deny that this just might not be true.

Rosalie laid across the white cashmere chaise Emmett perched himself on and was trying to slip her fingers in between his without Esme giving them a glare. The sheer material of her black sundress draped across the long chair turned it a beautiful shade of grey. It was hard for her not to be as physical as she wanted to be with her mountain man. Carlisle and Esme managed to be as discrete and polished in their behavior toward each other around Alice nowadays, it seemed easy for them because it was best for one of their children. The natural instinct in times like these would be to gravitate toward the one you adore, let their touch and mere presence melt away all the fear and anxiety that might be building up when the possibility of losing a family member is eminent. Emmett was a shell of a man, his jovial laughter and winning smile had been lacking as of late and his eyes didn't shimmer with mischief, his best friend was gone and no one—not even Alice could tell when, or if, he'd ever return. Of course, he stayed silent with his insecurities and inner grieving, as bad as he felt he knew Alice was in a place none of them could fathom. It was at that moment that he noticed his goddess lounging next to him and trying to comfort him, he took her hand and gentle kissed her forehead. She gave him a quick smile, and squeezed his hand tightly. He inched closer to her and took her face in his free hand, she leaned into it deeply shutting her eyes and forgetting that anyone else was there. She inhaled sharply taking in this moment, the kind of moments that had been lacking recently and she opened hers to meet his knowing that he was thinking the same thing.

"I know you loved him, and you still do." He whispered, coarsely. He knew there was no sense in whispering everyone could hear them—but his voice came out soft and low. Rosalie moved in closer now just inches away from him, his exhale becoming her inhale. "He was your play twin in all this, I am not being much help in helping anyone through this. I am suppose to be your rock, and I cannot –have not been able to do that and for that…… I don't have the words to - - "

Rosalie cut him off with a deep kiss, and he took her face in both hands, not wanting to ever stop but at the same time needing to be heard. He was ready to talk all this out so everyone could live easier. But Roaslie smelled so sweet, and the touch of her lips on his made every fiber of his being tingle with anticipation of love between the two. She bite his bottom lip and he heard a sound that he hadn't heard in awhile, his own chuckle. He felt her smile against his lips. His hands slipped down from her face to her shoulders as he gently pushed her away.

"I love you." She spoke, clearly and authoritatively, almost as if it wasn't a declaration as much as it was a demand for him to act on it. Her eyes widened as she saw him about to speak up and she wasn't ready for him to as of yet. " NO, I do. I love Alice, Carlisle, Edward, Esme, and you know that Jasper was special to both of us—I am not giving up, you are not giving up. This waiting game sucks, I know but I do not want to hear you talk like it is over because you are going to fight like hell till it is and I am going to be standing right next to you looking a hell of a lot better doing the same thing."

This time it was Emmett who initiated the contact. Kissing her, he grabbed her in a tight embrace and locked a hand in her hair, leaning her back slightly till she was almost lying down again.

"HOW?" Alice said shrilly, as she realized for the first time that she had bounded down the stairs and was strutting toward them . Emmett, retreated off his wife to turn and look at his friend. "HOW?" She repeated.

" I'm not sure I understand the question?" Emmett said sitting, up as Rosalie slipped completely from under him and began to fix her dress. Esme and Carlisle began to approach them for the first time, crossing the room quickly to meditate anything that might happen, they'd been waiting for days for the cup to runneth over and it seems like this might be it.

"How can you sit there and pretend like he had nothing to do with this? How can you say that NOW you are willing to fight by him when all I was doing was fighting for him and you did nothing. Nothing , Rosalie. I've watched the four of you move around here like heartless ghosts and claim it was out of respect for me to make yourselves feel better about what did happen and how bad you feel now. Jasper is gone." Alice heard her voice crack, but she didn't want to waste any of this. She had been waiting for the moment when she'd have it all build up enough to completely speak her mind.

"Alice, darling, please this isn't…" Esme began gently laying her hand on her shoulder and trying to turn her away from Emmett and Rosalie and to face her, Alice jerked her tiny shoulder from under Esme's touch suddenly repulsed by it all.

"Isn't it?!?! I cannot think of anything that it is more!"She let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Carlisle, you changed Esme, Rosalie, and Edward when you thought that there was no other option. Rosalie, you did the same for Emmett, and I couldn't save Jasper—"

"From what Alice, what did he want to be saved from exactly? Please tell me what it is, because for the life of me I certainly didn't think I was just there to do what was best by all of us, but what he wanted too. Yeah, I know that it is hard and I cannot even imagine what hell it is to be sitting here waiting for a sign without so much of a clue as to where your husband is or if he is still alive but I am telling you for the last time, Alice, I did—he—we all did what was best for the greater good and you know that." Rosalie felt more like herself than she did in a long time, she finally spoke exactly what was on her mind. She rose to stand directly in front of Alice, Alice's eyes seemed to be filled with such hurt and rage and there was no one to take it out on. She was willing to take it as long as Alice was dishing it Edward was usually the person she would vent to and without that outlet, she was afraid Alice might just lose it. Far be it for her to let Alice take one step toward laying all this on Emmett, he was already so torn up that this would literally break him and the idea of letting anyone shout and demean Esme or Carlisle was out of the question. Rosalie locked eyes with Alice, placing her hands on her hips.

"Alice, I am sorry you feel that I would do anything to betray you. What, we have been here for far too long called the same place home, seen so much for you to honestly believe that anyone in this room doesn't want what's best for you. You know that. .."

"What's best for me, Rose, Please—tell me what you think is best for me because it seems to be that you only know what is best for you and Emmett. What's going to keep you two locked at the lips, connected at the hips, and…"

"And what Alice? I AM SORRY HE ISN'T HERE RIGHT NOW. But I can guarantee as sure as I am here that if our positions were flipped right now, I wouldn't be worried about how we got there I would be more concerned about ----"

"LIAR, you are full of it. If it were you, you would have ripped anything and anyone in your way to shreds you could have cared less about how it suited anyone else as long as you and Emmett were fine. That's what you do, that's who you are. You are the big, bad take-no-prisoners fighters and Jasper and I were the logical lets work this out. We balanced each other we all were a team once, a family and you just let some random stranger walk in and take one of us away—he would have never let that happen to either one of you. He would have fought for you, I swear he would have. You know he ---"

"Doll, Jazz was a killer. NO one is asking any of us to deny where we came from or who made us or why we are here so why the hell do any of his expect Jasper to give up any and every connection to the life he had before us?" Emmett posed the question not just to Alice but to the rest of his family. "I mean we love Jasper despite, we all do. We have to let him do this, I'd hate to see what would happen if we didn't . Who knows what kind of danger not only our family, but all these humans would have been in. I mean what were we to do kill Drea? Yeah, that would have worked out perfectly—I mean she is on the quick list to be a member of the Volturi and it's not like she is a stranger to Jazz, I think if anyone other than you had to be by his side right now, you'd want it to be her. I know you cannot seem right now, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing it could be mean that he is still with her. Rose was right, we cannot act like it's over, we've been having our own little mourning services for him all week and guess what: It's just torture, and I am not going to do it anymore. "


	2. Where he lies

Jasper jolted up from the ground, the searing pain of venom coursing through his pain was one he'd rather have had never to experience again. He gritted his teeth and growled low beneath his breath, his usual golden hairs was muted by the caked on mud and dirt that he'd been wrestling in and his shirt was all but shredded off his long toned torso. The bite marks to his mid-section were driving him crazy, he knew the worst of it was over and now he was just waiting for the venom to work its way through. He let out another snarl has his hands dug into the ground around him, he felt his breath quicken. Just then, he heard the patter of quick feet make its way around his fortress. He knew those footsteps from anywhere and welcomed the companionship for once. He'd been left there nearly all day without so much as an update from anyone to where they were on this war. By the sounds from outside, only the strong were left because the insignificant screams of the novice could no longer be heard. Just swift mercenary like killings were left. His camp consisted of a steady rock formation that stood at the end of the river valley slightly above the scene of war that was taking place. The rocks had shifted so close together over time that it made almost like a cove that was only penetrate able through the few trees that intertwined themselves at the base of the biggest boulder, giving the small area shade, one real entrance, and no real ability to be ambushed. Jasper looked toward the trees overhead, waiting for his ally to drop in and as if on cue Edward gracefully descended from branches above. Edward's eyes widened, he knew Jasper was still in a lot of pain—he read it from his mind, he just didn't imagine his brother would look like he was at his end.

"No." Edward barked as he bound toward Jasper in one leap to make it by his side, "Don't think that."

Jasper leaned on one-elbow, his eyes barely able to focus on Edward's , communicating with him without even having to waste any more of his precious energy. 'Just tell me that it's done. That's all I need to know. All this is over and there is no more to be fought. Edward, tell her I love her. Tell them all I am sorry, I couldn't have let them see me like this. Agh.'

"Tell her yourself," Edward said almost chuckling as he checked out Jasper's abdomen wounds. "You are almost healed up, just a little longer--"

'I don't have a little longer!' Jasper thought angrily at Edward making him turn to meet his gaze again. 'Edward, I don't have a little longer left to fight. Even if it does all pass, I am just a liability to you. I would slow you down and if this war isn't over now then—then, I don't know what to tell you other than to leave me here and I will make it back to you if I can.'

"You're crazy if you think I am going back to Forks without you, Jazz. How could I look any of them in the eye knowing that I was a part of all this? How could I live the rest of my life hearing Alice's thoughts? Having to see her dreams? Living a lie for eternity, having the girls believe I never saw you again either. NO, you aren't giving up. There is no compromising on that. You aren't the giving up type." Edward assured him. "You are fine, what you did was what was going to save her and our family. You know that, stop this and just focus on healing."

'How can you tell me to focus on healing, the pain is all I can manage to feel right now. Tell me it wasn't in vain.'

"She's alive."Edward whispered, nodding his head has he moved in closer to Jasper and lifted his head to rest on his lap. Jasper's eyes clamped shut as he leaned on his brother, gritted his teeth for another wave of pain to roll through. Jasper let out a howl as all his energy zapped out of him and he felt as lifeless as all the burning corpses he and Edward left on the battlefield that day.

Edward continued, "She made it through, and it's all over and done. Only thing we are waiting for is you. You to heal so he can get home and you can make this up to Alice; I'm thinking year long shopping spree and finally cutting your hair."

'I'm thinking you didn't hear me when I said I don't have a little longer, Edward. '

Edward's head jolted toward the east, he gently laid Jasper down as he rose to stand and then closed his eyes as if listening hard.

He turned quickly back to Jasper, smile spread from ear to ear.

"Her and Bella her on their way---" His smile quickly faded as he heard Jasper's first reaction thought before he could control himself

Edward bolted up the rocks, climbing to the trees and with one darting glare back down to his brother he made his way back out of the cove. Jasper could have given anything to be able to take back the horrible thoughts of disemboweling Bella as soon as she entered their safe haven. But the thought of her warm, blood sustaining him was the only thing he thought of—he cursed himself for not being able to control his thoughts. He then began to believe that Edward might have been slightly right; he was going to survive this. He just didn't know what state he would be in for sure. His mind was racked with guilt for leaving Alice alone; all he could see was her begging him to let this vendetta go. To stay in Forks and let the fight come to them so they could work through it together. He could still feel her hands on his face as she pulled him down to look eye to eye on his last afternoon in the house, she made him promise that he'd never leave her forsake her. Her powers were no good when it came to Drea and Jasper together, Jasper's ability to manipulate emotions weakened her resolve to want to fight and Drea blocked and absorbed any powers used toward her. Jasper knew leaving with a woman that is wife despised would change everything between them, but he had to do what was best for everyone and not just the Happily Ever After he so desperately wanted to achieve with his wife. His eyes began to drop as he thought back to the day Drea came back to his life, and surprisingly he felt himself smile.


	3. When it began

"Alice! Get a move on!" Emmett bellowed unnecessarily up the stairs making his voice bounce off all the walls in the house and shaking the glass pane of the windows, he smirked proud of himself just as Rosalie trickled down the stairs slapping the back of his head as she came off the last step.

"Button it up, Cave man, she's almost ready." She said slyly watching him take all of her in his gaze.

Rosalie looked exceptionally beautiful tonight, she wore a long midnight blue lace halter dress that dipped low and hugged everything right . Her luscious locks were in loose curls and her lips were of glossed rubies. She wore diamonds in her ears and around her wrist to accent the decadent diamond chocker that adorned her neck. Her skin glistened as the light from the setting sun filled the room.

"My God, Babe." Emmett said taking her by the hand and spinning around. "Is all that mine?"

She pulled her hand away from his and lifted it to hit him again as he caught it and kissed her wrist. " You look hot!" he exclaimed turning her hand over and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it then one on her cheek.

"Behave yourself and maybe Carlisle won't be the only one unwrapping presents tonight." She said wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Is that right?" he said innocently, " What exactly do you have mine?"

"Oh please spare us the details." Edward chimed in mimicking placing his fingers in his ears, "I beg of you."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and smiled, " Why you boys clean up nice." She said clearing her throat and noticing Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward for the first time since she entered the room. Carlisle was in a vintage black tuxedo reminiscent of Clark Gable, his hair was slicked back and he held a beautiful arrangement of gardenias for Esme. She turned to admire Edward and Jasper's attire—both went for the Black on Black approach but did it very differently. It suited them both very well. Edward also in a classic tux and Jasper just going with a black suit with an open collared well fitted, black button down underneath. "Simply smashing . " She finished.

She then noticed Bella standing almost completely out of view, shy and conservative as usual. Bella's hair was up in a neat bun, her necklace consisted of a Sapphire drop pendant Edward recently gave to her and her dress was a strapless knee length dark grey linen attire that she matched with a black sweater. "Interesting look for a dinner cruise, Bells." She commented tilting her head to the side and continuing to talk before Edward could cut her down on behalf of Bella. "So where are we meeting Esme, do you really think she has no idea?"

Carlisle rolled his eyes, "She is very much in the dark about all of this. We were just going over the plan again, Edward and Bella are going to pick her up and take her to the Marina—they are going to say the need to meet Charlie there. When she arrives I am sure she will realize something is up so we will all be waiting on the dock.

"Awesome, if we ever get there. ALICE ! COME ON!" Emmett shouted again, this time it was Jasper that reached out and swatted him. "Hey don't get mad at me cause you can't control your woman. GET A MOVE ON!" Just then Alice appeared at the top of the stairs, a vision in White. Her usual spiked bob was sleek and she had a large magnolia behind her ear. Her short dress had intricate gold woven straps and the silk of the dress wrapped around her in layers. Jasper approached the foot of the stairs gazing as she took the each step slowly to further antagonize Emmett.

"Everything is going to be fine", she announced "It's going to be a beautiful Anniversary celebration on the riverboat, Carlisle, she cannot wait to see you." She smiled then tilted her head to the sky as if she was trying to remember something, "Whoo, and there is going to be a firework show."

Not being able to wait any longer, Jasper scooped her hand off the banister and pulled her into his arms.

"Marvelous." He said to her as he kissed her cheek, "you look Amazing."

"Now can we go?!?!?!?!" Emmett exclaimed and Edward chimed in as well in agreement.

"Alright you guys, let's make this happen. " Carlisle smiled as he took in how beautiful his family was.

The cruise went off without a hitch, they listened to the band play for hours and Carlisle and Esme shared a sweetheart dance as Edward played the piano on the main deck. Spectators on the ship watched with envy at the family—who effortlessly outshined any one on the whole riverboat. Esme and Carlisle glided across the deck receiving random applause from others on board who simple woo'ed and ahh'ed at their masterful skill of the waltz. Jasper gently took Alice's hand and the rose to join them on the dance floor, not to be outdone Emmett and Rosalie were soon to follow. Bella grabbed another drink from a waiter walking by and made her way to sit next to Edward at the piano. Last thing she wanted was to be sitting alone and being stared out. After, they watched the firework show from the outside deck and made their ways off the ship. Alice spinning while humming the tune Edward played, Emmett wrapped his arms around Rosalie and was whispering something apparently naughty in her ear because as soon as he finished both Jasper and Edward groaned in disgust, Bella didn't quite catch it and Edward leaned in and told her that she was the lucky one then as he grabbed her hand. Carlisle and Esme were lagging behind, enjoying spectating the life that they were able to call their own. When they reached the cars Edward turned around toward the celebrating couple,

"Oh yeah, almost forgot." He threw the keys to the Volvo to Carlisle who caught them with ridiculous speed.

"What's this, Edward?" Carlisle said smiling out the side of his mouth, holding in a laugh as Esme excitedly giggled into his arm.

"You might have surprised Esme with a cruise, but Esme has plans for you of her own." Jasper chimed in.

Carlisle smiled down at his wife looking for answers, " What's going on?"

"I'm sweeping you off your feet, that's what's going on" She replied nestling herself into his chest.

"That's right Doctor Cullen, you will spending a magical tropical getaway arranged by your beautiful wife, in a location that will be disclosed to you at a later time." Emmett announced.

"Hey!" Esme said jolting her head up from her prince's his chest, " You kids didn't…"

"Uhh , we did. How lame of us would it have been for us to let to let you plan everything on your own? You should know us better than that. Your bags are packed and waiting in Edward's car. Where you will find your first set of instructions your plane leaves in about, oh 6 hours so I would get to it so you can enjoy your first stop on your Anniversary scavenger hunt. "Alice chimed excited that her reputation for taking so long to get ready enabled for the perfect cover to turn the tables on her adoptive parents.

Carlisle laughed and picked up Esme, twirling her around. "Then what are we waiting for? You guys really didn't have to do that, I already had the perfect evening spending it with all of you."

"Blah, Blah, Blah. Go and have a great time. We'll see you in a couple of days." Rosalie said pushing the two of them toward the Volvo.

Esme smiled leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, " See you soon, Rose. Thanks for everything."

Edward and Bella piled into the car with Alice and Jasper, Edward decided to drive. Rosalie and Emmett took Carlisle's car home. As they approached the drive way Edward slowed down almost to a complete stop, Emmett slammed on his breaks before shouting mentally to Edward "What the hell, man?" Alice gasped, for the first time all night she couldn't see anything. Jasper broke the silence, feeling the heightened tension in the car.

"What happened?" He asked before catching a scent and gasping himself. They all turned to look at him as a knowing look spread over his face. By this time Rosalie was calling Edward.

He slowly picked up the phone, "Someone is here. I cannot read her, she blocked me and if I am not mistaken—I think she is reading my mind. Alice's visions don't work on her. Apparently she is cancelling out our powers." He answered all her questions without her needing to open her mouth.

Jasper needed no validation, but hearing it out of Edward's mouth made it even more real to him. He bounded out of the car and shot up the driveway at a rate that only vampire eyes could keep up with. Bella reached out for Edward's hands and pulled it close to her. Jasper was not very excitable so seeing this scared her. Emmett had bounded out of his car too after Jasper.

"Stay here! You too, Alice, watch her" Edward said following the boys. Immediately Alice climbed out of the car and into the driver seat, she could hear Bella's heart beating through her ears.

"Calm down Bella, it is all going to be ok. It's probably nothing." She assured her. But minutes later as if she couldn't take her own advice she pounded her foot on to the gas pedal squealing up the driveway with Rosalie close behind. They reached the top of the house where the Edward and Emmett were just standing at the edge of the yard, gazing toward the lake. Alice bounded out of the car with Rosalie close behind, "Where's Jasper?" she glanced around not waiting for an answer. She was beginning to leave them to search as Bella, finally made her way to them. Edward reached out and grabbed her by the arm,

"Wait here." He demanded forcefully, she looked at him confused.

"Why would I---" she began as she caught Rosalie staring out into the distance as well. She slowly turned to face the lake and there he was. Inches away from this exotic woman, standing there in a black tank and ripped jeans, her long dark brown hair coming down in coarse waves and her caramel skin dotted with half moon scars much like Jasper's. They didn't even seem like they were talking. They barely moved from each other. Bella was the only one still searching for Jasper, she couldn't see what was going on, but then again no one could really tell her anything substantial. Emmett took a huge inhale, and announced what the others semi- already knew.

"I'm pretty sure I've never smelled exactly anything like that before—I don't know what she is. "

"She? Edward, who is this she? Why isn't Jasper back yet?" Bella asked tugging on his sleeve nervously.

"Good question. I'm gonna go find out" Alice announced,

"Alice, wait!" Edward began trying to grab her again but it was too late she had agilely avoided his grasp and began to sprint toward the water, with Edward and Emmett close behind. Rosalie knew then her role was to watch Bella, she gritted her teeth for not thinking to start toward Jasper first.

They got to the lake and the gaze between the mysterious stranger and Jasper had not broken, they just stood there, barely aware that there even was a world around them. They were standing much too close to be simple strangers and she obviously wasn't scared of him unlike some many other women they have come in contact with.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Alice said, annoyed at the sight.

This didn't break the gaze between the two. In fact, Jasper began to breathe harder as if he was in disbelief and she shook her head from side to side as if remorseful. They were talking, just not aloud. Edward finally caught on and tried to tap either one of their minds and failed—in fact, he then realized that he couldn't hear anybody's thoughts at all. He turned to Emmett who also looked confused then to Alice who's hands were balled up into little fists. Then he motioned to Emmett to watch Alice, he approached Jasper and the woman and tried as hard as possible to read either one of their thoughts. A searing pain scorched through Alice and she shrieked much like Edward she was trying her hardest to see anything and she just couldn't and it seemed as though she was being mental burned for trying. The sound of Alice in pain ripped Jasper awake from his trance; He gasped deeply turning to see his family around him. She gulped for air not realizing how intense their interaction was. Edward's powers returned to him in a rush of familiar voices in his head, and yet the only one he wanted to here was hers. He turned to face her as he felt as though someone was forcing him to. She was right behind him and he looked down at her.

" You are gifted, like Jasper ,yes?" He heard her clear as day speak to him through his thoughts,h er voice deep, yet lyrical. He lifted an eyebrow and decided to try to respond mental.

"You know I am. How do you resist my powers? Who are you to my brother? "

"I am far from immune from your powers Edward, I only enhance them."

"What? Who are you"

"She's Drea."Jasper entered their silent conversation, Edward turned to face Jasper, shocked. Then back to face Drea.

"How are you….what are you….how can he hear us?"

Then Alice wriggled from Emmett made her way over and grabbed Jasper by the shoulders

"What's going on?!?!" she demanded,

Rosalie then arrived with Bella in hand to the lake.


	4. Who makes a bad impression

"She's Drea." Jasper responded aloud to his family, sighing "Its late, we should head back to the house." He said trying to convey confidence and reassurance to his family. He felt their apprehension and knew he had a lot of explaining to do but out here was not the place to do it, according to Drea it might not be so safe to continue to be out in the open. If he knew Drea at all, trouble was on its way already in a big way.

Bella stumbled her way almost blindly, the moonlight's reflection on the still waters being her only guide, over to Edward's side. She tried to breathe steadily out of her mouth and avoid her heart rate to accelerate anymore than it already had. If this was one of Jasper's friends, she might not 000live her life the same way as the Cullen's have adapted to living. Although she felt relaxed and non-pulsed by the situation she knew this was only because of Jasper's concern to keep everyone calm. She intertwined her fingers with Edward who pulled her in close and graced the top of her hair with a soft kiss. Although Jasper clearly made a request for them to retreat to the manor, no one seemed to be in quite a hurry to do so. Alice just stared at him blankly, her feisty demeanor not completely derailed. Jasper moved away from Drea's side and to his wife's taking her hand in his.

"Please?" He asked, "I'm asking you to give me a chance to explain." Jasper lifted his head and turned to his the rest of them. "There is a lot you have to hear."

"Then let's get to it." Emmett said, "No point in holding off on the inevitable." Emmett didn't like the idea of having something so heavy over them and not confronting it head on, he was never much of a passive aggressive person. With not so much as another word, he grabbed Rosalie's hand and jetted toward the house, following suit Edward threw Bella onto his back and dashed after. Alice continued to stare at Jasper who just repeated himself to her as if a broken record. He ran his fingers through her hair and clasped each side of her face before bringing it in, gently placing a kiss on her forehead and resting his chin atop her head. He sighed deeply, repeating the word please. Alice's frustration and confusion quickly changed to anxiety. She looked up at him and tilted her head trying to read the worry on his face. Barely above a whisper had she assured him,

"Whatever it is we will get through this, Jasper."

"Know that I love you." Jasper said pulling her even closer to his face.

"You're beginning to scare me."

"Don't fear." He begged her gently nuzzling her face before kissing her deeply. "Don't ever fear for me." He said continuing to show her all the love in his heart. Wrapping around her forcefully.

Drea felt that was her cue to leave the lovers alone and begrudgingly made her way toward the house without the protective shield of Jasper.

The voices heard in Edward's head were suddenly just becoming a distant hum—as if someone was turning down the radio.

"She's coming." Edward barely able to warn his family who were just a buzz of curiosity about the new stranger to grace the doorstep of the Cullen mansion. Rosalie's hands rested impatiently on her hips staring the door down as she paced the foyer floor waiting for the girl to emerge. Emmett sat leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees watching with glinted eyes as the doorknob slowly turned and Drea stepped in shyly, she closed the door gently and approached Edward who was standing closest at the foot of the stairwell where Bella stationed herself sitting behind him.

"Hello again." She spoke aloud to him, "I apologize about the mental blocker thing. It's just something that happens when I get around others with cerebral powers. Years of building up a defense and my powers have adapted to become naturally defensive. I will work on……..letting my guard down when I am here."

"So you plan on sticking around or something?" Emmett asked cocking his head to the side curiously and rubbing his open palms together.

"No" She responded quickly shaking her head side to side, her large almond shaped eyes growing wide at the question, "Not at all. In fact I had no idea that Jasper had been become this domesticated in the least." She closed her eyes and groaned after hearing the words that came out of her mouth. "I didn't mean anything by that; I knew that he changed his life. I did. Obviously I heard something, I was able to find him. I just didn't know he was so invested with such a large family—and a human member at that. " She said motioning her hand toward Bella. Edward's eyes narrowed and he positioned himself more in between Drea and Bella. He read her as a non threat, initial but he would not make the mistake of letting her anywhere knew Bella if for any reason she wasn't accepting.

"NO. " She exclaimed lifting one hand in the air, and scoffing "No, no, no. I would never hurt Bella." Bella gasped shocked at hearing her name from the stranger's mouth. "Ever." She continued.

"Then why are you here? Just passing through?" Rosalie asked sarcastically.

"No, I am sure Jasper was as shocked to see me as any of you were. Last time he checked I was dead."

Emmett began to sit up a little straighter, his interest peaked by this. Drea ran her hand through her hair…she knew convincing this group she wasn't the trouble they should be worried about was going to be a hard sell.

" Oh where, oh where is Jasper?"She sighed placing her hand on her forehead.

"Oh, probably explaining to his wife why a pretty little home wrecker dropped in. " Rosalie bite. "Just to visit."

Drea darted her eyes and slowly turned to approach Rosalie, Looking her up and down as she approached.

"I am not here to hurt Jasper." She said stopping a foot in front of Rosalie, standing up a bit straighter she wasn't all that shorter than the blonde bombshell but seemed to be just as intimidating when challenged. "Nor break any homes. Reserve that judgment for when you actually get to know me. I just need my friend..former ally and solider."

"So disappear out of his life for decades then show up when you need….." Rosalie began her counterattack when Drea put out a protective arm and twisted around, her long mane whipping in Rosalie's face. She snarled deeply at the door as she took a defensive stance. The silence in Edward's head was broken by her voice 'Wolves approach! The same that tried to track me, I thought I threw them off...careful they are shifting'

As if on cue, Jacob busted through the door growling as well with Seth close behind.

"She passed through our lands, should of known she was one of yours." He spat, his human form face twisted with a snarl. His usually smile faded by confusion and angry. "Keep leash on your friends, I all but had to sedate Sam to let me handle this when we finally tracked her to this place"

Drea began to loosen her tense position; obviously she was the only one on guard.

"Whoa. Who is she, why is she passing through our territory and what is she doing here." Seth asked forcefully yet excitedly.

"All valid questions." Rosalie agreed smugly.

"More importantly, what are you. You smell of no bloodsucker I've ever known of" Seth asked, inhaling deeply and shaking his head and approaching her. Drea staggered back, 'Stay away' she warned mentally repositioning herself in her former attack mode. 'I mean it.'

Seth stumbled closer, intrigued "Hey, how are you in my head?" He asked aloud, shocking all but Edward in the room.

"Ugh, another mind reader?" Jacob inserted.

"Stop." Drea commanded Seth more forcefully aloud for all to hear. Her eyes darted from Jacob to Seth as Seth smirked, not following directions.

"Why do you smell so different? I cannot explain it's not as rotten smellin'. Your eyes aren't the same glowing type neither" His eyes explored the girl, taking in all her features curiously. He took another few steps closer to her causing her to inhale sharply, he shrugged it off.

'Edward, stop him or I will. I am trying to respect your peaceful lifestyle and obvious coalition with these wolf people, but if the young one persists getting closer. Natural instinct WILL set in.' she shot to Edward with a glance of her eyes.

"Seth, back off." Edward said demandingly, holding a hand up

"Don't speak to him like that, she's the criminal here" Jacob stood taller and strutted toward Edward.

"For once the mutt is right." Rosalie muttered, settling herself on Emmett's lap.

"Aww, what's the problem, little vamp? Don't be afraid of me. I won't hurt ya, I'm just Seth" Seth said bounding only inches away from her reaching to pat her on our shoulder.

Edward quickly jumped to Seth, placing to hands on his chest. "I mean it." He said sternly.

Drea stumbled farther back, entering the living room. Her eyes loosing focus and violently shaking. Drea's fists clenched and she began to snarl, she slammed her eyes shut trying to calm herself down, but she could feel the instinct rising.

"What's her deal, I didn't think you people could get any weirder...obviously I was wrong" Jacob scoffed leaning onto the doorway rolling his eyes.

"I didn't mean anything by it." Seth said sounding remorseful. " I was bein' nice. Tell her to chill."

All the words were just a distant mumble to Drea at this point, memories of being surrounded were flooding to her mind and she couldn't stop.

"Someone go get Jasper." Bella stammered standing up.

Edward glanced back to his love and then to the stranger who seemed to be stewing in rage, a sitting time bomb. He was going though his options of handling the situation.

Jacob interrupted his thought process by barking at Drea, "Shoulda caught you when I had the chance, at least I would got some answers out of you."

"Not helping." Edward shot back to him.

He then began trying to figure out if her tapping into his head was a two-way street—with no avail.

"She hears you Edward, hell, I hear you Edward." Jasper said entering the room hand in hand with Alice, not looking any less stressed than he did down by the river.

"Why won't she speak to me anymore? What is she doing?" he asked concerned, slowly approaching her.

"Don't!" Jasper exclaimed trying to push his way to Edward before he could touch her. It was too late, with one sweeping move his only option left was to thrust Edward in the opposite direction of Drea to safety. Her eyes opened, her deep brown orbs were replaced by a deep purple haze as she screeched and clawed her way against Jasper, he barely dodged her blow as he blocked a strong kick to his midsection and counter acted by trying to grab her wrist, he didn't want to hurt her but at the same time he didn't know how to subdue her safely. She ripped his shirt before he was able to duck and wrap a strong arm around her waist and one against her chest and up her shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's just me." He said softly, but firmly while lifting her off the ground as she kicked wildly, Landing several "It's Jasper, Dre, Come one. Dre, Come on. It's okay, they are….no one is going to hurt you. I'm here now, you're safe." She gradually calmed down gasping for air, he slowly began to sway her soothingly till her feet rested on the ground where he continued to hold her and sway reassuring that nothing was going to happen to her. She rested her head on his shoulder looking toward the ceiling,

"I'm sorry. I just, it was a lot at one time." She sighed toward his face ,letting herself me rocked.

Emmett, who had been staring, opened mouthed at the scene in front of him was the first to break the awkward silence.

"What the hell was that?!?!?"


	5. What he thought was right

Alice approached the two, "Neladrynthia , right?" she asked laying a hand on Drea's hand.

"Yes…"Drea answered, perking her head up from the crook of Jasper's neck. Surprised to hear her full name, she hadn't heard it spoken in decades. "Yes."

"Great. Neladrynthia, I am Alice. Although, I am sure you knew that already. From what Jasper's told me you are quite powerful."

Drea scoffed while stopping the rocking by Jasper, she gently patted his hands reassuring him she was fine. Alice quickly took her hand in her own leading her more into the living room and sitting down.

"Please come in and have a seat, you must have had a very long journey here. I know the presence of our friends must have shocked you—he have an agreement, a treaty if you will, with their pack that we won't cross into their land. That is why they followed you here"

"It must be nice to have such friends." Drea said as the rest of the family slowly trickled in the room positioning themselves in various spots across the room.

"At times, it has been a long road to getting to the place where we have become civil .Seth, honestly is the most gentle of all of them though. He would never do anything to hurt any of us; he has close to no bias which as you know is unheard of."

Edward propped himself behind an arm chair which Bella took. Emmett and Rosalie positioned themselves on a chaise across from the sofa which Alice and Drea sat facing each other, and Seth plopped down on the rug on the floor glancing from face to face. Jasper hadn't moved from where he stood with Drea, Jacob headed toward the door.

"I must go out far enough to phase and tell Sam everything is under control.." He ducked his head back inside briefly." It is all under control right? You aren't going to go spaz out again, 'cause I don't wanna miss that."

"Go Jacob." Jasper turned slightly not even looking at him, hearing the door slam was the only confirmation he needed.

"Neladrynthia." Jasper sighed.

"Alive." She answered, with a small smile thrown his way.

"Drea and I, we fought together long ago. She escaped after learning that there was a world out there that she had been kept from. Charlotte was ordered to track her and bring her back, on their return I was ordered to kill Charlotte and punish Drea. Peter begged me not to kill Charlotte not knowing that her mission was to bring Drea back, and weather successful or not she'd been ordered to death. I'm sure if he knew what she was doing, he would have just left with her. Charlotte returned without Drea and as you all know—the three of us left. Charlotte led us to Drea and it was the four of us for a very short time. We were attacked days later, by rogue newborns and we thought we lost her. Apparently, we didn't." Jasper explained coldly. "That had to be 80 years ago"

"In a nutshell, Jasper, that was a fair introduction." Drea asked meeting his gaze.

"It's true, if we thought you survived…."

"I know, I heard it 1,000 times from Charlotte. She swore things would have been different and will be from here on out."

"So you live with Charlotte and Peter? Do you eat like them?" Bella asked.

"No, but I don't eat like you either."She answered, motioning across the room.

"Why are you here?" Rosalie interjected.

"Jasper." She answered quickly

"What do you mean you don't eat like us? Its blood—humans or animals—that's about it." Emmett asked curiously.

"I am not just a vampire. Maria wanted me captured for a reason, Charlotte was expendable—she didn't feel I was. Nettie and Lucy, her sisters, once upon a time thought of leaving with me and rebelling from under her reign. That is why she convinced Jasper to kill them with her and for then on we had one leader. Years, many years, later I realized that I could take control of my life. I didn't want an eternity of killing in the name of hate, I wanted something more. I was curious to learn of my past. I left, Charlotte followed, I sent her away—certain I was the only one who felt the way I did, when she found me again she brought the boys and convinced me that there was safety in numbers. That was proven wrong; they were forced to leave me for fallen. I was healed from the injuries sustained by the newborns and headed the opposite direction of the three. I went back to the Caribbean Islands where my ancestors fought for our freedom once. I studied more about my powers and lived among them as a healer and teacher. As times changed made my way back to the Americas, I sought out Charlotte, her friendship and reassurance gave me the strength to continue with what I had to do. I wanted to tell her that. Once they had learned of my survival, they were very warm and insisted I stay. I spent decades with them traveling the world. "

Hearing this Jasper shifted his weight and crossed his arms across his chest, looking visibly perturbed. Peter never mentioned her return. His eyes darted to hers narrowing. Jacob re-entered the room, he had been listening at the door and found the pause to be an appropriate break to enter the room. Turning form the glare of Jasper, Drea continued, wanting to get it all out while she was on a roll. Looking across the room, it seemed they were hanging on her words, still trying to connect the dots to what brought her to Forks.

"We went to many places, including Mexico City. I sensed that I should leave that place. I didn't want to go but Peter was persistent. There we ran into Maria, I tried to hide from her but she caught my scent and found me. She acted very sane, not the Maria I knew while enlisted. She invited us to dinner, I told her never would we be in the same company by my choice. Once Peter and Charlotte were on a walk together, she found me again—offered me the world. Thought my showing up after years of death was a sign that we could indeed rule the Vampire world and all that didn't comply would be sacrificed. I told her she was crazy, that plan made no sense at all. The Volturi would defeat us; it would be vampire anarchy if they somehow didn't. She seemed to let it go, but Maria is no quitter and as we continued to travel we headed south where we heard rumors of a maniac's recruiting for a newborn army to cleanse the land and the Volturi's investigation of such. We discussed heavily weather to mention Maria's words with the Volturi, but you know as well as I do that we couldn't go in with just idle threats. I traveled alone to Italy to make my own decision on the matter and was captured by Demitri; they questioned me for what seemed like days. I didn't even get a chance to really divulge my information about Maria—they were just so distracted by my background. Aros invited me to stay among them. I told him I couldn't at this time. He took it as not declining but asking for more time and set me free. I ran home to the Caribbean to make sure those who I grew to love watching over were safe. I was going to go after Maria myself, and I didn't plan on making it out alive but I would at least take her out with me." Drea paused; this was always this difficult part.

"I went to my hometown. It was ravaged. She took any that might even have an ounce of pure blood and took them and burned the land. I was devastated. I went back to Peter and Charlotte's and told them goodbye—they fought too long and hard for them to go back, I knew what I had to do. They pleaded for me to seek Jasper. Tell Jasper goodbye or ask him to train me again I had fallen out of the practice since spending years incognito. I saw no use in bringing Jasper into this, he thought I was dead why would I go tell him I'm not just to go and die? Peter convinced me that it would be a better chance to save my former friends if I did. So I am here, asking you to help me become more controlled than I have been in years. Peter and Charlotte send their love. They didn't want to come until they were all fed up and until they were sure I was unquestionably going to do this."

"All that sounds so horrible," Alice sympathized, "I'm so sorry that all those you once held dear had to suffer."

"Me too," Drea said, "But it is Maria. I thought 100s of years would change her, but she still sees herself as superior and won't stop till the rest of us see her that way as well. Jasper, I would not have come to you if I had any other option you know that. I was set to do this on my own, but if Peter and Charlotte insist on being there I must be strong enough to ensure they survive."

"What did Maria want from you? Why you?" Seth asked, moving closer again. Taking in her story and the scars that decorated her arms, her fingers that had been nervously twitching and her mouth that seemed to be frowning.

"I….was thought to be the last of my kind. I come from a long line of Sangomas." Drea answered not backing away from him.

"English,please."Emmett said rubbing his head trying to take all this in.

"Cuban-African fortune tellers, we were brought over on slave ships to the Islands that is where my Welsh father took my mother to the Americas tortured her, left her pregnant, and then came back for me. I grew up quickly pulling cheap tricks for him to feed on the unexpecting and Maria found me deep in the bayou and enlisted me. It was escape; I continued growing up thinking that was all there was and foolish looking to Maria as a mother figure."

"You……..grew up?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, my mother was a Sangoma. A witch, but very human, the magic flowed through her veins deeply. She died giving child birth to me, not many can survive giving birth to a child half vampire."

Gasps and murmurs filled the air; none of them thought it was possible. How could she sit in front of them and claim something as ridiculous as being half vampire, you either are or you are not. Who is born into this life? Jasper knowing the story well finally uncrossed his arms and began to pace.

"So your mother was a real witch?" Seth said wide eyed, " like broomsticks and wands, Harry Potter?"

" Haha, no. More like what your people, fortunes and brews. Some which can be taught and some cannot. Many of those who I studied under could not do what I was capable of, I was much younger than them and yet had powers that were incomparable to their own, they knew not of my vampire half and excused my lack of aging to being 'pure of blood'—I in turned taught as long as I could without arising suspicion. Simply things like how to read cards, emotions, healing oils, but for the most part just how to keep those around them safe. Some good that did them."

"Don't speak like that you tried."Alice said soothingly

"So…You went home, learned, trained, left , moved in with Peter and Charlotte, cornered by Maria, was recruited by the Volturi, went home where there was no home left, went to tell Peter and Charlotte adios, and they send you hear before you go to fight the big bad vamp." Emmett asked trying to make sure he covered it all.

"Yep." Drea said. "I think that is about it. Ummm…yeah, I came to say bye to an old friend and ask him to make me a better fighter before I go into battle."

"That's some request, wanting him to lose you again and send you to your death." Edward, who had been silent taking it all in, said moving toward her and squatting down in front of her. "What are you leaving out?"

"Nothing of importance to the story that is the shortest version I could tell. I cannot give a day by day account of what has happened. "What's done is done, and what needs to be done to finish this will be. She is turning innocent people into monsters; people that she doesn't realize have no real chance of being more than they are. She is expecting an army of Jaspers and Me and that is not what she will have. She will have a powerful army, I know, but I cannot allow her to experiment on how to make the perfect killing machine. She's a lunatic"

"So….." Jasper spoke up, desperately wanting to take her aside and ask her hundreds of questions. Get her away from the family, like Edward he thought that there had to be more, he hoped there was at least. "Can we take a walk?"

"Please." She accepted eagerly. "I'm asking a lot of you and I know you have a lot to think about. "

"The hell he does!" Rosalie scoffed.


	6. When she told why

Drea chuckled and shook her head back and forth, massaging her forehead briefly she was beginning to grow weary of these people whom she just spilled her life to treating her as if she was a street rat. She didn't sign up for an inquisition and wasn't going to stay around to be disrespected anymore; she rose from her seat and dusted her jeans off. She took a few steps toward Jasper and sighed deeply,

"It was good seeing you again….real good. Borderline great." She smiled weakly. " continue to have a wonderful evening, well, morning now. You have a beautiful life here, I'm proud of you." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek before turning about face to address Edward across the room.

"Edward, it was a pleasure. I can tell you are a great man and a valiant protector. Don't worry, it will work out in the end." She looked down to where she once sat where the porcelain pixie still remained. "Thank you for your hospitality, Alice. I see that Jasper is a lucky man."

"Wait, you can't go!" Seth said scrambling to his feet, " Seriously, if all that you told us is true. There is a lot of trouble out there; you can't be serious about facing it all alone."

"You don't always get a choice in these matters, Seth, there really isn't any other option."

"Well, I think we can come up with some that doesn't involve you going all kamikaze. If it's that bad, you should stay and come up with something better. I mean, you came here for something like that right? A better chance of surviving?" Seth said all but begging her to reconsider, he towered over her with his lean and gangly physique, breath heaving in out from the excitement of the conversation. She softly pressed her hands to his chest and pushed him away in attempts to get some much needed space.

"It's not that simply, I didn't come here for that. I need to ensure that I will make it to the big battle, just enough to take Maria down and anyone who would want to continue her wishes once she's gone. If I would have gone in as is, I wouldn't make it that far. Peter is an amazing fighter and we have trained for hours, but is really no match. I needed an even stronger fighter and a gifted one at that—to see if I could block powers used against me, I will need that to make it through those newborns. I am sure none of them are pure of blood, but being transformed might bring out some dormant trait or something, I don't know------ as far as I know this is a problem that has yet to have had to been faced. "

"Well what does Jasper owe you? You aren't here asking for his help, you are sharing some sob story—"Rosalie started before Drea crossed the room in such a flash that the vampires all went on high guard.

"Do not tempt me, woman. I am very serious. I have been respectful because Jasper loves each and every one of you, and I love anything that means something to him but do not confuse my respect for him as weakness. Continue to attack me and there will be a problem." Emmett arose and placed both hands on Rose's shoulders as she began to growl. Edward, being the closest at the moment wrapped his hands tightly around both Drea's forearms from behind. Seth bounded to the action and stepped between them, Alice sprinted over the couch as Jacob made his way over to a very scared looking Bella, she was the only one in the room that couldn't keep up with all the action and was shocked to see everyone talking at one second and the next the whole room was at the farthest right of her peripheral vision at each other's throats, the late hour and her fatigue wasn't helping the situation. His warm arm went around her shoulders and she leaned against him standing up. Jasper made his way slowly, sending out waves and waves of peace.

"Jasper!" Rosalie spat, "You are a fool to believe that she wants nothing more from you. Eighty-somewhat years without so much as a phone call and you wait till now to drop on his doorstep bringing news of the apocalypse? Want him to stop his life to help you end yours. Sick. " She stopped fighting against Emmett's hold.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What am I suppose to do? Let thousands upon thousands of living beings be slaughtered for the pipe dream of a power hunger psycho? If anything, I am doing everything I can possible do to make everyone—including all of you safe—you know how dangerous newborns are, they threaten the secret of all of us trying to live normal lives. If asking Jasper for help could make any of that any easier, excuses the hell out of me for trying." Drea said ripping her arms out of Edward's grip and turning to face him, "I will not be a hindrance to your powers anymore, both you and Alice will be in fine working order as soon as I am off the property."

Drea's long hair swished around her as she speedily began toward the door, hands clamped into fists. Seth stumbled as he reached out to grab her arm, "WAIT!!" he exclaimed, frantically trying to find some words to make her stay, "this isn't right, You know it isn't, Jasper. Where's Carlisle? He can find you a better way."

Drea shook her head and rolled her eyes, she was pretty sure this Carlisle guy could do nothing for her, "There is no better way, no one can go in this and do what I can, Seth."

"Carlisle wouldn't want you to go unarmed, If Jasper won't help you I will."

Drea laughed and gently pried his fingers off her arm, he was sweet. She had never known of such a persistent werewolf although her travels have required her to form relationships with many creatures, none outside of her kind had opened up to her and accepted their differences so quickly as he had. She reached up and gently tugged his chin, "You are young and brave, you have a big heart and a spirit that your enemies will learn to fear. You will do many; great things and others will learn by the way that you live your life. I wish you many happy years, wolf." She winked at him before turning around and making her way toward the door again.

"I am serious," He responded cutting her path off to the door. "I don't see the harm in trying. What do you have to lose? The only thing you have to gain is fighting experience, maybe Maria isn't working alone and you could use the benefit of training against someone as big, strong, and clever as me." He joked grinning as she cracked a small smile before trying to compose a straight face. "Please." He added quietly.

"You cannot be serious." Jacob intervened, "YOU are going to train HER?" He snorted, "Seth, I think you can chalk that up to a waste of time."

"It's summer, it isn't like I am skipping school or have much better to do. Besides, what's more important than rescuing a damsel in distress?" Seth said his eyes never turning to his objecting friend; he focused on Drea, waiting for her answer.

" And Sam?" Sam is going to be fine with you spending all your time with …"

"He had to get over it with you and the Cullens, he'll have to find a way to get over it with me. Consider it using my 'Get out of Jail Free' card." Seth shot back, glaring at Jacob daringly. Jacob just chuckled, his young friend didn't realize what trouble he would bring.

Jasper who had remained quiet, made us way over to the two.

"Ha, Damsel? Seth, I don't have the time to sit around when I could be out there fighting. I am not going to get you in any—"

"Three days, Give it three days. If you gain nothing or you don't get a gameplan together while here, then you can go on to plan B.I can really see you leaving here without learning something." Seth bargained. "Just say yes, I won't give up. Say it. I am right for once, I know"

Jasper then cut in, finally finding the words he wanted to say when she was telling her story on the couch. "Let's go for a walk." He quietly, but forcefully commanded. His tone and movements let all in the room know that he was not in the mood to be interrupted again or have to be forced to calm them all down again. He removed his suit jacket and threw it on the vacant couch and unbuttoned both cuffs, he stepped in the small space between Seth and Drea causing Drea to stagger back unexpectedly,

"MOVE." He threw at Seth, his giantess still blocking the exit. Jasper's eyes narrowed, "NOW."

"I just don't see it far that she has to fight alone, I cannot let that happen." Seth said sheepishly, but surely.

"I won't ask again. Drea, let's go." Jasper said staring Seth down, Seth reluctantly removed himself from the doorframe and glanced down at Drea , "Don't let this goodbye—at least come and tell me what you decide face to face" He asked fairly.

"Yes." Drea said squarely. As she followed Jasper who was making his way out the door. Seth couldn't suppress his grin,

"I'll wait by the lake for your answer." He said , knowing that he'd better get out of the Cullen house fast after the two left for the walk to avoid any more fighting.

She began to shut the door behind her, she responded "I already gave it to you."


	7. When they Divided

"YOU have got to be kidding me." Jacob scoffed as soon as the door slammed. He removed his arm from around his best friend and made his way over to his stupid clansman. "She could kill you, you don't know this bloodsucker and you don't owe her anything. Sam isn't going to let this fly no matter what you say—there is no possible reason to let this pass. WHY? I don't understand. She is a witch, who believes that. Could that even be possible: Half warm blooded, half cold? What is that, lukewarm blood?"

"I have to." Seth sighed, wishing he would have walked out the door as soon as they did. "'it's the right thing to do, and I am willing to face anything Sam, you, Leah, or my mom have to throw my way 'cause of it."

"Edward." Alice said out loud, apparently she had been trying to think his name for awhile—she was so use to being able to have non verbal conversations with him, he reading her thoughts and then responding in subtle physical gestures no one else would pick up on.

Edward responded quickly, "I'm sorry one of her natural defenses is mental blocking."

"I didn't even think something like that was possible."Emmett said scratching his head, "I mean, I understand blocking you from reading her own mind but stopping you from reading any thoughts…and you from seeing any visions. That's bananas."

"Yes, Jasper said her powers were great." Alice said distantly. "They'd have to be for Maria to have been so obsessed with her, and to be crazy enough to try to take over the world we know now." She turned gravely to Edward, who still couldn't hear her thoughts as much as she wish he could. She finally asked aloud. "What is she capable of?" Her eyes squinted at the question.

"I don't know." Edward said, darting his eyes to a nearly dozing Bella. "It's late, Bella. Let me take you upstairs, I've set up my room again."

Bella was in no mood to argue, she knew she could barely stand much less stay awake to see what else was going to happen. She didn't want to miss anything, but she wasn't going to be able to keep up with anything if she couldn't focus to pay attention. Edward could see her contemplating her next move, he urged her to go to bed by running his fingers gently through her hair and asking her again in a much more melodic voice. Bella groaned in protest but knew it was a losing battle as much as she wanted to stay she knew it wasn't going to happen.

"No, stay. Alice needs you." As much as she wanted Edward to take her upstairs, lay her down in the bed, lie beside her and sing to her till she was sleeping—ravishing him in her dreams. Alice desperately needed her brother and she knew that. She turned to Jacob and pointed to him authoritatively,

" I expect a full report of what I miss tomorrow."

"Yes ma'm." He said saluting lazily.

She made her way to the stairs and stopped in front of her a somber Seth, she sighed, looking him up and down and then wrapped her arms around him in a hug, Pulling him in to whisper in his ear although she knew full well all could hear her

"Be careful, Seth. Don't do anything risky. Jacob is just looking out for you."

"I know, Bella." He exhaled deeply.

Alice watched Bella make her way up the stairs then made her way to Edward, wrapping herself around his waist and resting her head on his chest.

He stayed silent for a moment, no clever retort off his lips. He then broke the silence saying, "I'm with Seth."

Rosalie cocked her head to the side curiously, he'd better have one damn good explanation. "Is that right?" She asked sarcastically.

"Babe, if she was lyin' Jasper would have sensed it and sent her packin' or something. He isn't going to let nothing in here that would hurt Alice. I think she came here for help. I don't see what we would have to lose by just showing her a couple of moves here and there. It's just three days. Could be fun, an excuse to rumble. Plus any problem you got with her you can handle it in the ring, nice old fashioned mud wrestling" Rosalie playfully punched him in arm at this remark.

"I would destroy her" she sneered.

'Edward?' Edward finally heard in Alice ask for him in his mind, he gently squeezed her arm in response, 'oh thank god, ' she responded in belief 'I hate this.' He nodded in understanding, pretending to be engrossed in Emmett's agreeing with Seth. ' Do you believe like it all to?' Edward paused before nodding again. 'Me too. I just feel so bad for Jasper, I know Rosalie thinks that something else is up, but I just don't want Jasper to lose anyone else. I trust him.'

"As you should." He spoke, pulling her in and hugging her even tighter.

Jacob suddenly realized that Bella was gone and his only tie to this family of vamps was gone. He glanced over to Seth who seemed to be in another world, no minding sitting in on these private conversations. "Let's go." He told Seth making his way to the door; let's go report to Sam while they are gone. We don't want him getting involved in this."

"No."Seth protested all too quickly, causing Jacob to grow suspicious. "I need to talk to Edward too." He excused quickly.

"Why the hell would that excuse you from doing your job?" Jacob shot

"I told her I would wait by the lake."

"For her answer, she already told you yes. If you are going to be risking your neck, you gotta tell Sam first….or at least let him know so we can start lookin' for your replacement."

"Go ahead, I will catch up." Seth was racking his brain for an excuse not to go.

"Oh no, I am not facing that heat for you, get your hairy ass outside so you can do this."

Edward heard, Seth racking his brain trying to find any excuse not to leave the premises and something urged him to help the young wolf. He released his hold on his sister and gave a glance to Emmett for help.

"Well if we have three days to save the world, we are going to need all the time we can get. Seth, since you are the brain of this outfit. Why don't we go discuss strategy? Jacob, Sam would have understand Seth commanding us for awhile. Emmett and I need him here."

Taking his cue, Emmett chimed in, "That's right. We'll need to head to the back yard and begin setting up for the first day of class."

Seth's eyes glittered with thankfulness, "Yes." He said calmly nodding his head. "Jacob, I will call Sam and you in the morning. I am staying here"

Jacob looked from Edward, to Emmett, back to Seth before just shaking his head and heading to the door. "It's your funeral." He murmured out the side of his mouth.

As soon as Jacob was gone, Emmett bound up the stairs, "Let me ditch this monkey suit and I'll meet you out back."

Rosalie scowled disapprovingly and stomped up after him, Alice slowly removed the flower from her hair and added to a bouquet resting in a vase on the piano. She sighed and made herself comfortable on the chaise, "And I will wait here for my husband."


	8. While the sun rose

It was dark out, even though the sun threatened to peak over the horizon in less than a full hour. Jasper just kept sprinting as tree branches broke as they slammed against his granite body and tree roots were breaking underfoot. He didn't know for sure where he was taking her, but he wanted to be out of earshot of any wolves or vampires they left behind at his home. His emotions were swimming and he didn't know what to think. He was angry, yet relieved, worried but confident in her mission. He didn't concern himself about his speed; he knew she was very fast when need be. He reached a flat clearing at the top of one of the large hills that overlooked the lake. The stars glistened so brightly it was as if they threatened to explode right then on that clear night, He stopped at the ledge of the clearing the calming waters of the lack underneath him. He didn't bother turning around he didn't want to look at her yet, that would make it that much harder to ask the tough questions. After several minutes of silence she spoke up stepping directly behind him

"Don't get all steely with me." She said, sounding not so confident. "Jasper Whitlock, don't freeze me out."

"What do you expect?" He scoffed, still facing the water. "I haven't gone by the name in a long time, Rosalie is right."

Hearing this everything around her stopped, she knew what Rosalie thought of her. As much as everyone thought it was all bad, Rosalie was just trying to defame her character so everyone would see her as a flight risk and not want to join her cause, she knew Rosalie was a lot softer than she was putting on didn't want to see any of her family hurt, she sensed even her protective side over Seth come out. What could Jasper possible mean Rosalie was right? He better than anyone knew what Maria was capable of, why would he think anything less horrible of that poor excuse of a creature. Peter and Charlotte would vouch for her she knew.

"Use your words, Dre, I am not use to –hearing you in my head, and having you hear me." Jasper interrupted her strain of questions she threw to herself, it all sounded like a form of gibberish at that fast a pace to him.

"I am sorry, Jasper, but when you say something like that I kinda have to internalize exactly what the hell you mean." She spat his way, rubbing her head.

"I mean you drop in, almost a century after your death, and all you have to say to me is ' Hey , I'm going to go fight Maria. There is a huge chance I am going to be killed, help get that much closer.' "

"Have you not been hearing me, my gosh you are starting to sound like Seth, What choice do I have? Seriously. I am listening if you have a better offer I would love to hear it, but you know as well as I do this is the safest way for everyone. "

"87 years, Drea." Jasper said clamly. Inhaling deeply then slow exhaling. " I thought I was responsible for your killing for 87 years, do you know what that did to me—the guilt that ate Peter and I alive?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea, Peter let me have it when I first caught up with them during their trip to Louisiana. I know it wasn't easy for you, I know you left them a few years later and wandered to Philly where you found your Alice, I know you have been living a human clean diet ever since, I know you---"

"You seem to know a lot of things but all it would have taken was a phone call to let me know something." He said angrily picking up a rock and flinging it with such force that it split through a cyprus clear across the lake.

"And say what Jasper? I knew your mind, I knew your emotions, I knew your heart. You were so unhappy, my first reaction was that it was because you left and the reason the three of you left was because of me. Eventually you guys would want to go back, and I couldn't do it."

"So what faking your own death was the best option, really? Never mind about the rest of us, just do what you want."

"You know that it was never like that," growing angry she grabbed his arm and swung him around. "You know I would never hurt you, but being with me was doing just that. I was much younger and still getting to know my gifts, all I knew was that you guys were hurting and I was different. All I wanted to do was go to where I came from and find out who the hell I was."

"Drea, I thought you were dead because of me. I took that with me for years, up until a few hours ago I still carried that over my head."

"Yeah well then it must be a relief to know that you are just as good at your job as you ever thought you were. Here I stand." She said throwing her arms in the air, "and it's because of you and Peter. A thousand words could still not express how thankful I am because of that. I made peace with him in a day, why does something tell me it's not going to be the same with you."

" Because you trusted him enough to tell him you're okay."

"I'm telling you now, what is the big difference?" She fought angrily placing her hands on her hips and pacing.

"Years!" Jasper finally spat out what was really eating at him, his normal collected demeanor lost. " Years, he knew for years. You went traveling with him, the three of you shared a life and never in that time did any of you reach out with so much as a letter saying that you were back from the dead. Rosalie is right, you come here wanting something from me then expect me to let you go again to die. I cannot do it, I can't put myself through it. I don't want to get to know you all over again just to have to watch you go off to your death."

Drea understood what he was saying and sheepishly began to wish she never raised her voice at him, "I'm sorry. I really am, I don't know if I could ever express how deeply sorry I really am for any pain I might have caused you. I should have reached out as soon as I decided to find Charlotte again. I just couldn't bare it. When I woke up after that battle, I followed you for a bit—but you couldn't hear me and I couldn't hear anything from you—I couldn't even feel you. I knew then that you gave up on me, I thought we lost that connection that made us…us. I had no reason to stay around."

"Why didn't anybody feel the need to tell me? This still makes no sense to me. What was so wrong with me that none of you thought that after all those years I might want to know what really happened?" Jasper spat, not focusing on her plight or Maria or anything. He just needed some closure, peace of mind before he could fathom anything else.

"FINE!" Drea stomped her right foot , "Fine. Let's recap shall we? We were ambushed along the banks of the Rio, I to this day believe it was because of you leaving. Peter was protecting Charlotte as best as possible and I was fighting just to destroy—the whole reason I left in the first place, I saw you running toward me just as that one bit me on the back of the neck, you destroyed that SOB just as two descended on you. Peter helped you fight'em off one of them stumbled away picked me up and I fought him, we fell into the river , I destroyed him and used his torso as a raft, when the rapids calmed enough I washed up on the banks burned the body and caught up to you guys days later. I saw that I no longer belonged, you never even sensed my presence. I made a decision to stick to my plan, if you guys that I was dead Maria would have to , and I headed home the end." Drea spoke rapidly. "It doesn't change anything."

"Just answer the damn question then if you are so innocent in all this. Why couldn't you tell me you were alive? I couldn't protect you, I have been afraid of losing anything precious to me since."

Drea scoffed at this martyr role, "Oh please, 'precious to you'? Hardly, I loved you Jasper, and you loved me the same way someone would love a pet rock. I had to leave, I couldn't torture myself anymore. I knew you cared about me, but I also knew even then you had something better for you—something meant. I couldn't sit around and wait for it to happen. When you didn't sense me so close to you guys, it let me know that you had given up on me already. I was young, I couldn't face knowing that I was so easily dead to you. I am wiser now, I know that was not the case. I am sorry, but I couldn't face you till now. Now that I have no choice."

Jasper turned back around and slid his hands in his pockets, staring directly at the sun as it made its way above the forested hills. "Maria is the reason you had to leave and the only reason you sought me out. I got it."


	9. What holds them together

"Maria?" Drea scoffed angrily, "Maria. have no idea just how tired I have grown of hearing that name. The best years of my life were the ones that I didn't have to live for her, or by her rules, or for her inane dreams. I would do nothing for her, the only thing I want to do is to rip her to shreds. I will go back to that life just for one day, to see the look on her face when she sees that it is me that destroys her the way she wanted to destroy everything in this world. Tell me , Jasper, do you ever think of them? Now that you live among humans? It's hilarious to me that you are standing here telling me that Maria is the only reason I am with you now, when I say making up for the life I use to live is a pretty good reason to be right here in front of the real one responsible for making who I was back then." Drea saw the shock spread across Jasper's face and the hurt deep in his eyes, his lip quivered instinctively but he quickly pulled it together . She didn't care, she was on fire and it was her that was finally letting it all go, venting for much needed closure. She backed away and picked an even bigger rock than he had earlier and threw it, shattering the remainder of the Cyprus.

"Yeah, you liked the way I conveniently left that out of the story when I was regaling your perfect family with the sorted tale of how I came to be. Tell me this, when you were out there by the lake explaining me to your Alice, who did you say I was exactly?"

"Drea, don't make this any…"

"No, oh no no no no no. You want to sit here and blame me for trying my best—offering my life—to remedy this catastrophe, and you cannot even come to terms with the fact that maybe you are not that blameless in all this, maybe you are the one that needs to be focusing on MARIA and what YOU…"

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, YOU ARE LOOKING AT ME AS IF I HAVENT FOCUSED ON THE HELL WE LIVED THROUGH. I cannot believe that you once knew me and now you stand here…….as if I did not punish myself just the way you are right now. I did not want to live feeling everything from everyone. I hated everything and I still carry so much.."

"THEN SEEING ME MUST JUST BE A NIGHTMARE." Drea ranted, "I mean after all, I am your biggest failure. God, I was such a fool to believe that this stupid plan had any chance what so ever of working, Peter is such a moron. You know he actually, way back in the deepest corners of his mind thought we could work together peacefully for this goal? I should have known then if you were so fast to give up on me once you wouldn't be able to be there for any of us now." Her eyes were so narrowed he could barely see the purple haze, raring beneath her brown irises. With as much will power she could gather she turned on her heels and started to walk away resisting the urge to shove Jasper's condescending smug arse right off that ledge. She made it to the downhill slope away from the flat clearing they argued on and was about to sprint her way down through the trees and onto the main road to make her way back across America, putting this uncomfortable reunion behind her.

"Wait." Jasper pleaded barely over a breath, "Stop." He commanded more forcefully. He ran his fingers through his hair and let them rest around his neck, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"I don't take commands from you anymore, Whitlock, I am not some little slave girl you 'stole' from the cathouse anymore." Drea said, tiredly. She didn't have it any more in her to yell and fight; she didn't want this to be what it had turned into. She didn't know what exactly she expected it to be, but she never saw this. "I have a job to do, Commander, with or without your approval."

" I never saw you as just some…. slave girl." Jasper chocked on the last words approaching her slowly, shaking his head back and forth vigorously, " and I am not a condescending arse. Smug? Really?"

"Damn you!" She responded loud and quickly, remembering that he was the only one in the world that she could not control when or if he could read her thoughts.

"Like it or not, we are connected. Getting to be this close in proximity with you, seeing you….has brought that back. I am sorry you felt like I didn't care if you were gone or not. I did, and I do now. You know I cannot let you go out there like this, and I know that you are going to go regardless. Oh, I have been considering other options, but I cannot for the life of me come up with one and I know by the time I do you will be gone again." The morning sun made his skin glisten like diamonds and hers like a light topaz, their battle scars were more apparent; her eyes glowed against the sunlight showing the purple as it began to fade away. She sighed defeated.

"I could think of a few worse people to be tethered to for life. Does this mean you are going to help me, Whitlock?" She asked throwing her hands in the air and letting them hit her legs.

"I haven't gone by the name in a long time, I am not Jasper Whitlock I am Jasper Hale."

"Well, I am not here for a Hale I am here for the man who my blood—for a lack of a better word—poisoned when he was stupid enough to try and turn a vampire."

"Half-Vampire!" Who the heck has ever heard of a half vampire?!?! Or a half-witch? How was I suppose to know different, I don't even think you should have veins let alone have anything flow through them." Jasper smiled unexpectedly, catching himself chuckle. "So I am only half stupid, thank you. Any way, you bit back" he said sucking air through his teeth and pretending to be in pain, rubbing his arm where she had bite him decades ago.

"And you are walkin' and talkin' now because of it." She snorted, they both grew silent letting what was going to happen set in "We saved each other a lot back then, let me use the last of my nine lives to do just that again."

Reluctantly, Jasper approached her and placed his hands on both her shoulders. He looked in her eyes and across her face. He took his left hand and stroked her long hair away from her neck, gathering a large portion of it in his hand and lifting it up as he spun he spun her around with the other hand. He looked at the distorted patch of would be smooth, hard skin that was twisted and mangled in a discolored reminder of an escape from death that logically shouldn't have happened. If a no good punk could inflict this amount of damage, he could only imagine what an experienced vet like Maria would do.


	10. Waiting on the return

The walls of the Cullen house shook rhythmically from the vibrations of a comatose Seth Clearwater. He slept on the floor, right where he sat after coming back inside from the lake hours ago. He waited as long as he could for Jasper and Drea to return, but his animalistic need to rest took over and he could not manage to keep it together. His hard breathing and snoring annoyed an already on edge Rosalie.

"Can't you take him out back and shoot him?" She groaned at her husband leaning over the railing from upstairs.

"Too messy, babe." Emmett shot back; he was kicked back feet resting on the coffee table reading the morning paper with Edward. Both were wearing variations of a track suit and tank top, waiting for the chance to create a warrior.

Bella made her way to the living room, sipping on orange juice that they kept there for her for mornings that she stayed. "You still think we shouldn't at least call Carlisle?" She asked innocently, slivering her way next to Edward on the couch and leaning on his chest.

"What for? They'll be back tomorrow. He has to work soon. Let them enjoy their anniversary, I am sure he's busy right now anyway." Emmett answered for his brother.

"Busy? All you guys did was book a penthouse…"She suddenly became aware of what "busy" meant and shut her mouth quickly, but it was too late. Emmett roared with such laughter it challenged Seth's sleeping noise.

"Oh Edward, you are going to have to teach her a thing or two. Bella, I can guarantee that they haven't thought twice about anything outside that penthouse." With that he was off again, murmuring things like Rose and him wouldn't think twice about Forks if they were in a plush set of digs in Toronto.

With that Edward got up, stepped over Seth in the foyer and opened the door, explaining as he made his way back to the sofa that Jacob would be coming in any minute. As if on cue, they heard his heavy feet coming up the steps of the porch. Upon entering the house, he made his way over to Seth and kicked him in his side. Seth yelped, sleepily staggering to his feet and looking around to see what he missed. He rubbed his eyes and said good morning to everyone.

"Good morning?" Jacob scoffed, "You say that now but wait until Sam gets his hands on you, it took everything I could muster to keep Paul and Jared from coming here themselves and dragging you back. They think you are crazy."

"Well three days from now, they can do what they want but I am not leaving until I help. Sorry if it's putting you guys out." He threw to Emmett and Edward over his shoulder.

"No prob, man, you are constant entertainment." Emmett insisted without glancing up from the sports section.

"Carlisle wouldn't have it any other way."Edward agreed.

"Hmmm….I'll start sleeping outside." Seth laughed as he looked down at the puddle of drool under his shoes. His stomach growled so loudly that Rosalie shot down from her room,

"I told you, you should have taken him out back and shot him when you had the chance."

"Can't win them all, honey." Emmett answered, still not breaking glance from the paper.

"Come out let's go grab something, there are some wild geese out by the lake." Jacob said, heading toward the door, beginning to remove his shirt as he did so.

" Not this morning, I am kinda in the mood for real food. I mean, nothin' I have to hunt and stuff." Seth said, patting his belly. I think I am going to head to the store real fast."

"Fine, its quicker on four legs we can go eat and be right back."

Seth running out of excuses not to leave with Jacob looked at Edward for help, knowing no matter what he couldn't hide his thoughts from him. Edward read him loud and clear, "Seth, I have to run Bella back to town, she volunteered to work at the Newman's place—you can ride with and pick something up from the diner on the way back if you wish, Jacob you as well."

"No, thanks." Scoffed Jacob, barely covering his thoughts of disdain of being in a car with the "leech".

"I'm in." Seth chimed in.

Bella returned her cup in the kitchen, patted Emmett on the head as she passed him then jumped into Jacob's arms. "Same applies as last night, I want to hear everything!"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n." He agreed, spinning her around before catching a look from Edward. "See you tonight."

"On the off chance that they return in the ten to twenty minutes it takes to run to town. Call if they get here." Edward said twirling his keys in hand

"As you wish, sugarbutt." Emmett smooched and winked and him from over the paper.

Edward rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him.

"Geese, you say?" Emmett said feigning conversation with Jacob as he folded up his reading material. "What does that do for you?"

"Just something to get me by." Jacob said with a stale overturn. He had nothing personal against Emmett, out of all of them; He put Emmett right up there with Carlisle as least vomit inducing by comparison.

"Well then what are we waiting for? I could use a snack. There are some traveling coyotes up that way anyway….or is that too much like cannibalism for you?" Emmett said, jumping from his seat and heading toward the door before Jacob could object too much. "Hey babe, I'm going to go grab some grub with Jake. You want me to bring you back anything?" he bellowed up the stairs as he headed out the door.

"Bite me!" She shot back as the door closed.

"Later. I promise!" He shouted.

Emmett laughed at himself then lightly back handed Jacob on the chest as he was removing his shirt preparing to phase. He could not believe he was about to hunt with a vampire, he would have never done this under normal circumstances but he was hungry and if anything went down with the Drea chick he wanted to be ready.

Rosalie slammed the bedroom door as she made her way back to Alice's couch in her and Jasper's quaint bedroom. Just by looking at the décor, you could tell that they were simple yet artistic couple. She plopped right next to Alice who had barely moved in the past few hours; Rosalie continued to braid her own hair. She had every intention of being outside with the boys if that girl planned on being around.

"Alice, I am sure he is on his way back right now. I don't trust her, but I do know that Jasper wouldn't have ran away to go fight without saying something to you. So just drop that idea. I mean she has been dead for like, a lifetime. He's probably letting her have it for not dropping a line. I would. I mean if it was Emmett I would—"

"But it's not Emmett." Alice said quietly.

"Hello?" They heard a familiar sound roll off the walls of the house. Esme's warm voice filled their home.

Rosalie bounded back up and grabbed Alice's hand dragging her out with her. "Welcome back, Lovebirds!" she glowered.

"Wait, what brings you back so early?" Alice said as she made her way down the steps.

"Ugh, the weather. The nice overcast broke up over night and we had to stay on the plane and head back this morning to avoid the sunny seven day outlook. Don't worry, we had a fabulous time, I am happy to be back. I feel rejuvenated. I missed you guys!" Esme spoke quickly heading to the living room as Carlisle headed up the stairs quickly with the bags and made his way back down just as speedily.

"Alice, dear, what's wrong?" Carlisle said, walking past her as he made his way to join Esme in the living room. "Have we missed something? Where is everyone?"

"Have you!" Rosalie laughed, "Oh please, let me answer this one. Edward and Seth are dropping Bella back in town, Em and Jacob are out hunting TOGETHER, and Jasper and his ex-something have been out on a 'walk' for the past seven hours."

"What?" Jasper and who? Hunting together?" What in the world is going on?" Esme said sitting up a little straighter in her seat.

With that, Rosalie with the occasionally help from Alice filled in the Cullen parents with all that has happened. Carlisle sat at the edge of his seat at the news of the possible newborn army and the Volturi's interest in this woman.

"What exactly can she do?" He asked

"We don't know!" Rosalie answered crossing her feet under her, "We know that if she's around Alice cannot see anything, Edward can't read anything, and she can apparently read minds of something.

On that, Edward and Seth entered the house. Seth finishing off his fourth breakfast sandwich and hash brown set, "Carlisle!" He said with a mouth-full of food. "oh, bathroom break." He switched gears and made his way to the back of the house.

"No word from the others?" Edward engaged, joining them in sitting. "Emmett and Jacob are gone?"

"Hunting." Alice answered. Edward raised an eyebrow to this and she shrugged in response. His head began to get a little fuzzy and silence began to fill him. "They are back from their walk." He said calmly, getting up to walk to the large window. Everyone soon joined him as Jasper and Drea appeared from clear across the horizon. Glittering as they walked, him in a bright white sheen and her in a gold glitter. His swagger and overall appearance was much better than they saw in him the following night.

"She's beautiful." Esme breathed. Carlisle nodded.

Jasper was whispering something to her and she laughed a loud, stopping in her tracks. She turned and pointed to the woods,

"Show yourself!" she chortled as Emmett and Jacob came bouncing out Emmett as lively and animated as ever and Jacob still in wolf form grudgingly followed suit. The four of them made their way closer to the house before Drea stopped again. She was reading the fact that Esme and Carlisle had returned. 'Edward? Are they angry with me?' She asked before she'd take another step.

"No." He answered aloud knowing she could read him from there, ''they are curious, in fact Esme thinks you are beautiful. Maybe if you didn't keep her out so late, Jazz, she wouldn't be so worried about her reputation." The others looked at him in a daze confused, his crooked smile in full swing as he took pleasure in seeing her nervous.

She laughed and caught up with the other three, 'Tell her she only says that 'cause she hasn't seen me up close.' She joked.

Edward laughed out loud. "Esme, she says the only reason you say that is because you haven't seen her up close."

"My goodness, you can respond back and forth through thoughts." Carlisle gasped.

"Well only Her, Jasper, and I."

"You can talk to Jasper too?" Alice said turning to him,

"Yeah being around her, they have this connection and then she can connect with other telepaths..so it's like having a three way phone conversation. "

Seth bounded into the room, "So what did I miss?" He asked gathering at the window with the others. His smile grew larger as he was the whole group fastly approaching . "YES!" he exclaimed, running to join them outside.

"DREA!" He yelled as he took all the porch steps in one bound, he scooped her up in his arms taking her off guard because he wasn't even thinking to do it he just did it. "We thought you guys might have just ran away and gone fight or somethin'."

"What?" Drea said shaking her head as he placed her back on the ground. "No, I wouldn't have left without saying something to you, Seth. Jasper would never leave. I wouldn't allow that."

Seth felt his face grow warm as he began to blush, "Hey! We made something for you …you know in case you did come back."

"What's that?" She asked politely.

"You gotta come to the back and look!" He grabbed her wrist and started to pull her to the back.

"You mind if I introduce myself to the head of the household first?" she asked gripping her hand away from his.

Seth paused, looking down at her and catching her breath. "Yes." He said before grabbing her wrist and pulling her again.


	11. Who knew such connections existed

"No! " Drea scoffed, pulling her hand away from Seth's warm grasp "I don't want to be rude, explanations and introductions are in order."  
Seth then jokingly shook her by both arms, " We have three days to turn you into Street Fight and Mortal Combat all rolled in to one! We don't have time to worry about "rude"! ...I mean, we even made like an obstacle course thing with a wrestling ring and everything!" With that he bent down and threw her over his shoulder running comically toward the backyard. Emmett laughed after him and Jacob went toward some bushes to phase. Jasper jogged slowly behind not so quickly, he was taking pleasure in seeing Drea slightly taken over by an over eager teenager.

'What have I gotten myself into?' She threw back at Jasper who couldn't help laughing uncontrollable which started Emmett up in fits as well.

Lost in the image and not focusing, Drea's head popped up from the constant bouncing of Seth's running and she thought loudly to Jasper,  
' He's serious, Jasper, get in there! We can handle it out here. She needs you.'  
Jasper slowed down, confused by the words, ' What?' he asked in a puzzled voice.  
'Edward! Edward has been calling for you to come inside. Alice is a wreck. How can you not feel it? Or hear him? Where is your head?"  
With that, he turned back around and made his way quickly back to the front entrance of the house. He glanced up to see Alice staring at him from the front window. He threw the door open and ran over to her to embrace her in his arms, although her plan was to ignore such ploys of forgiveness she couldn't resist his touch.  
"7 hours?" She managed to get out before he smothered her mouth with a kiss, a public display of affection that was highly unusually for the two. She composed herself and pushed him away. "JASPER!"  
"Sorry." He said, glancing away and nodding to Carlisle and Esme. "Sorry. Welcome back, sorry your trip was cut short."  
Esme seemed to be temporarily caught off guard by his words before quickly remembering that they now had two and a half telepaths in the house, so word was going to be traveling a lot faster .  
"Its fine, son." Carlisle said shortly," What's not fine is letting her believe that we can let her go and do this horrible thing." He looked back and forth from Edward to Jasper, "Can she hear us now?"  
"Ah, no. She likes to try her best to give us our privacy--every now and again she slips up, but if she was listening, I'd be able to hear her..... at least some of her thoughts. We've been away from each other for awhile, we are trying to work out all the kinks in our bond." Jasper answered, shaking his head. "Plus she's got her hands full out there; she's deeply distracted by now I am sure."  
"Give us our privacy? How is it possible anyway? You aren't any kind of mind reader, Jazz, What does she do to you?" Rosalie asked the question everyone else had thought at least once.  
"Umm, Carlisle. Esme. I am not sure how much the three of them have filled you in on all what is going on. Obviously you know the gravity of the situation we are facing." Jasper said, walking Alice hand-in-hand to the couch and motioning for the two to join him.  
"We?" Rosalie interrupted, taking it upon herself to join the four in the living room, Edward in tow.  
"We." He answered sternly," I am not leaving her in need again. I made that mistake once and I will never do it again."  
"What exactly are we talking about here? Carlisle said, wrinkling his perfect brow while leaning forward to cross his legs.  
Jasper sighed and closed his eyes exhaling; He concentrated hard and hoped she got the message. 'Forgive me, Dre. I've got to tell them."

He began with the story of when he last saw her alive, and watching her, already severely injured, fall while being attacked by that newborn. The anguish and responsibility he felt, he fell into even darker days.  
At this time, Emmett and Jacob entered the house already covered in dirt.  
"D sent us in, she said we needed to hear something." Emmett answered Rosalie's questioning look. "She also told Seth to leave her in the backyard, to run the obstacle course and whatever but he wouldn't leave her side, she looked upset."  
Edward and Jasper exchanged a look and Edward nodded, Jasper sent a nod back before sighing,  
"Okay, I guess this would be the easiest way. All at once."  
Alice rubbed his hands, in a gesture that told him it was going to be okay regardless of what he was going to say. He returned the love, gaining strength by her confidence in him,

" Neladrynthia. I met her while we were down in the bayous of Louisiana collecting souls to turn. At that this time, Nelaphedro was a big name in the south among vampires. He ran a human business attracting the equivalent of well-to-do human trash and infiltrating their inner circles and removing anything in his way to become rich and powerful. He ran a parlor that was one of the biggest cathouse's in the United States at the time. Maria loved it there, she became infatuated with the way he went about business and took a lot of his practices as her own. She soon began to believe that she could take what was his, taking out some of his loyal subjects was the best way she felt to do it. Neladrynthia worked the cardroom for the most part, swindling travelers and visiting vamps through poker games. She was young then, couldn't have been more than fifteen to my twenty. Maria loved her spirit and ordered me to take her one night before the ambush, I did what I was told despite the fact I actually liked this girl." He paused at this point, he felt the confusion rise from his family at his words toward her, he looked at Edward who encouraged him to continue sharing.

" To my surprise, she was ready for me. Drea put up a better fight than men twice her size, then gave in and almost just let me bite her--that should have been my first clue that something was up, but I just wanted to get it over with--believing that she was human, I went for blood but all I felt was this agonizing pain and metallic taste fill my mouth. She had poisoned herself with some sort of immortal death brew, her flesh, and dead man's blood. She had foreseen something awful happening and tried to kill herself moments before I entered." Alice gasped at this and held onto him tighter. He simply patted her knee with his free hand and Edward urged him again to continue.

" Seeing me writhing around possibly dying, I guess she took pity on me for whatever reason and began to suck the venom out of my neck. I had drained almost everything out of her system and yet she had the strength to do the same to me, disposing of the venom she removed. I was disoriented but grateful that she was not human; if she was her teeth would have never been able to penetrate my skin. She saved me despite the fact I was going to take her into my lifestyle. I reported this to Maria, telling her she didn't need to be changed--she was already some sort of creature. Maria relished in this, putting all the clues together--to her, she hit the jackpot. Nelaphedro wasn't undisputable and all powerful, he gained his money by letting this girl read minds, cards, and seducing men to enter the cathouse where they would never leave...his only real gift was this worker who now belonged to us. I realized immediately that my empathic instincts had grown to be more dominant than ever before, I sometimes heard and saw things, even when no one was around me. I learned I was tied to the one who's poison and flesh once flowed through me, and she to me. She became an asset that we couldn't afford to go anywhere without, she was a natural fighter, she never questioned command, she was at one point so powerful she could destroy a man from the inside out, literally shutting his mind down from the inside. She knew curses to manipulate the weather around us, brews to incapacitate humans who resisted too much, and a charm that was undeniably influential. We were inseparable, combine nothing could stop us. I would lure them in with a feeling of security she would tell them what they wanted to hear and I would finish them off. We were too efficient for our own good. We were foolish to believe that Nelaphedro would let us take something that worked so well for him. Years, later he came with an army of his own, attacking us full on. Drea made her way to the front of the battle and took Nelaphedro and fought him hand to hand, without her powers. I ran to assist her but it was too late, she had finished him and then I heard her tell me something that she hadn't thought of in years because it was news to me. Nelaphedro was her father. She feared he would take her back, force her to live below her potential and never let her voice be heard.

It wasn't long after this that she began to pull away, not participating fully in any of our attacks. Not giving her all to the will of Maria, she had discovered a conscious and no longer wanted to be held responsible for the pain she had inflicted. She chalked this all up to something about her other side coming of age; she had to learn more about her Sangamon side. She felt such a powerful pull toward the island and away from what we did she saw signs, she didn't believe anything or in any of us anymore." He paused again, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes. Emmett sighed and muttered to himself words such as 'that's brutal'. Jasper was trying to shut out Edward, but he couldn't Edward just continued to support him.

" It was hard to hear," He started again, " she'd been my rock for so long and I hers. I knew what she was going to do before she did. Now, I couldn't even predict her mood. She fought so hard to break our bond--weather she knew it or not, and she was young and did not realize all the consequences. She didn't want to live for the approval of another anymore. So she didnt."

"Is that it?" Emmett asked quietly, taking in the history lesson on the girl in the backyard.

"Yeah, we did a lot of awful things when we were together. We were responsible for so much bloodshed and chaos, so many are gone because of this. When I thought she was dead, she thought I gave up on her completely therefore didn't come to correct any of our assumptions. I know admit to myself, I gave up on what we lived for long before her actions told me she was doing the same and yet neither one of us read it from each other, we were growing apart because she sensed and saw in me a better life and that was a future with Alice. I think whether she believes it or not, it was her that gave up on me." Jasper finished feeling vulnerable after letting that all out. Edward's demeanor changed and he sneered at Jasper,  
'You aren't going to tell them that part? The part you have been turning over in your head since you saw her by the lake.'  
'What's the point in doing that, Edward? It doesn't change anything, now does it?'  
'Well, it doesn't now..but you honestly believe it could have then and all this would have been different.'  
'Telling her I loved her back wouldn't have saved her, I didn't love her the way she loved me. I was honest enough about that to myself.'  
'You can say that, but why do you doubt yourself now?'  
'I do not. I know I am right where I am supposed to be. I just cannot help but think she suffered all these years because I couldn't bring myself to say it.'  
'See, that's what I don't get with you two. You guys have such a strong bond then and yet both of you kept so much from the other.'  
The two argued silently while the others sat in silence, believing Jasper was just taking his time with this emotionally draining story.

'Edward, are you here?' Drea entered the conversation, not very calmly.

'Reading you loud and clear, they are just going to sit in here….you know, watch and talk about you for awhile.' Edward chimed in, trying to keep his tone light.

'Well please, come out. Please. It would be easier with you here.'

'As you wish,' he answered quickly jolting from standing behind Alice and heading toward the door, backing up to peck a kiss on Esme's cheek.

"Welcome back, I think I am going to head out and help out till Bella gets off work."

With that, he exited the door on to the stone patio to behold the gauntlet like creation Seth, Emmett, and himself constructed through the late night and early morning while the walk was happening. They had gathered logs and made a wall, boulders for aim practice, dug a pit…for which they didn't know what they would use it for yet but thought it would come in hand and made a make shift cage fighting ring of ropes and wire.

'Get ready.' He teased her mentally as he jogged over to the crew who stood in front of the logs.

'That bad, huh?'

'Eh'

' Well….Bring it, pretty boy!' She quipped back.' I'm sure I'll have to leave soon now that they know everything of who I was, let's make the most of her time now.'

Edward was surprised at the connection he and Drea had forged in such a few short hours. He was realizing that what she said upon their first introduction was real , She wasn't resisting his powers put enhancing it. When she was around, it was true, she involuntarily blocked his ability to read others but what he gained was astounding. He found himself predicting things before they would happen. He always had the inside track on Jasper just by being able to read his mind and whatnot but he never felt as close to him as he did when Drea was around. He knew that their connection was deep, but just being a part of it seemed to be giving him a want for a comradery he sensed he wouldn't have experienced otherwise. A level of trust was forming at an alarming rate, and as nervous as that made him…it eased his mind that neither Drea nor Jasper would do anything to break it that he wouldn't know of beforehand.

"It's nice, huh?" Drea threw his way; he didn't realize that he had been standing there silent as Seth was explaining the 'thunder dome' to Drea and then stood there, waiting for a reaction from him. He caught Drea's eye and she smirked at him. He was the only one who realized that she wasn't referring to the obstacle course; she saw it in Seth while they were making their way to the backyard.

'Okay, I promise, no more. I will be an open book while I am here, it's the least I can do and I am going to do my best to stay out of anybody else's head other than you and Whitlock's.'

"Good." Edward responded out loud, responding to her and to the question of the make shift work equipment. "Well, what are we waiting for?

Seth smiled, unaware of anything that had happened other than two of his favorite people approved of what he had helped put together.


	12. When peace took over

They began a few rounds of boxing and wrestling holds as the others came out one by one to join them, Seth taken down by Jacob each time and he began to get frustrated and embarrassed as the rounds continued. Esme and Carlisle made their way outside. Drea stopped shadowboxing Edward to approach the two,

"Hello. I am very thankful for your hospitality and I won't overstay my welcome at all. "

"Of course, it is no trouble at all, dear. Now, this crazy plan of yours on the other hand." Esme said reaching out and grabbing her hand only to pull her in for a hug.

"Esme, She has heard it a thousand times. Trust me, if only from me, at least a thousand." Edward said nudging her shoulder with his fist. "She is as stubborn as Jasper."

"Well, I don't believe that the Volturi would appreciate you taking such risk on your own, your bravery is something to be commended for." Carlisle said nodding, you bring a life to this place that I haven't seen awhile. I understand that you mean a lot to Jasper and I am glad that he has a friend back, if only for a little while…Which will still need to be discussed later, Edward, Bella called she's off early. Alice and Jasper are going to go pick her up, they need more time."

Rosalie appeared in the doorway of the house, dragging her feet as she exited to the scene of wolves scraping in the backyard and her husband cheering on.

"Look at the commotion you bring with you." She snorted to Drea.

"You always this icy or I am getting special treatment?" Drea said patting Esme's hand as she let go and walked to stop directly in front of Rosalie. The boys stopped fighting as Drea stopped inches away from Rosalie's face, the wind blowing Drea's hair into Rose's braids.

Emmett's attention was completely off the fighting wolves as he sprinted to the spot, some would assume to break up any impending altercation. Feet away from the girls, he pleaded loudly glancing from girl to girl. "KISS!"

Both females turned and scoffed at him annoyed. "Jerk" Rosalie snorted.

"KISS." Emmett said again, as if he was a kid in the candy aisle begging for the last kit-kat.

" Not that you're not pretty, I just prefer mine a little less on the crazy suicidal side." Rosalie said crossing her arms

"Not that you aren't a doll, I just prefer my men with a little more hair on their chest." Drea answered placing her hands on her hips, "Rosalie, we could do this all day long."

"Oh, no. I don't want to waste your precious time. You seem to be good at that all by yourself." Rosalie ployed.

"Okay, I'll bite. What do you mean by that?" Drea said, keeping her word to stay out of anyone's head other than her boys.

"Here you are, rolling around with boys like you're on a school yard when you didn't come here to have a final match with some wolf, you came here to take down Maria, a lady. This isn't recess; if you want class to begin I suggest you take it up with a real teacher." Rosalie finished, not being able to help the smirk at the look on Drea's face of being totally caught off guard.

"I mean, " Rosalie continued as she began to circle around Drea , "I might be the only one who called you out as soon as you got her, let's not forget it's me that gets under your skin much like I assume Maria will. I seem to be the only one who hasn't forgot your little outburst from last night."

At this, Drea stopped Rosalie in her tracks. "You're right, Jasper can train me mentally to be able to get back in the game..you? You I just want to use as target practice."

"Whenever , Wherever, Whatever." Rosalie answered with a grin.

"Girls! Enough." Edward intervened "This isn't going to solve anything."

"No, seriously. I agree with Rose." Drea lightened up as she looked at Edward and flashed a small smile.

"Then game on." Rosalie said, in a gloating tone toward Edward.

"This is going to be HOT." Emmett said to Edward, shaking him by the shoulders from behind as they followed the girls to the ring. Drea scoffed at this remark as she followed Rosalie in.

"Oh come on, don't act like you are not use to that." Rosalie said removing her first shirt to fight in her white spaghetti strap undershirt and slipping out of track pants to her shorts.

"Use to what?" Drea asked, following suit and stepping out of her ripped jeans to fight in her tight black boy cut shorts underwear. She reached inside the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a hair tie and began to gather her large quantities of hair as Rosalie continued.

"That. That constant cat calling and objectifying that my husband keeps throwing our way. I know what your father used you for and I am not above saying that he was a prick, I know what that is like, but don't go acting like you don't know you are beautiful. What's the point in that?" Rosalie's humanity was beginning to show.

Upon hearing this, Drea's hands dropped to her side as she finished putting her hair in a long, thick ponytail. She ignored the gasps she heard as the scar from Jasper's story was revealed. Jacob and Seth had now joined the others ringside.

"Don't go all getting soft on me now." Rosalie said, getting into fighting stance. "Come on, you know that's not us. Carlisle, call it."

Drea couldn't help but laugh, "Very true." She agreed hunching over as well

"Don't hold back" Rose teased.

Carlisle then counted the girls off and they began going at it like two UFC cage fighters, Rose obviously had a lot of aggression pent up because she was throwing her claws left and right and taking jabs as if it were her day job.

"Not just a pretty face, huh 'Ro?" Drea said as she connected an uppercut to her and Rosalie countered with a strong front kick.

"Way to go babe!" Emmett yelled from the side line.

Jasper arrived along with the girls. His arm was wound tightly around Alice and it was hard to ever see that they were at odds that day. He watched as his family cheered on from the outside of the ring as his old best friend and his sister went toe-to-toe. He could tell that Drea was holding back quite a bit but loved the fact that both girls couldn't help but let out a smile or a smart ass quip every now and again. He sighed as he pulled off his shirt and ran to the ring, shaking this off and putting on his game face.

"Rosalie, tag me in" He demanded

Looking frustrated and annoyed, she let her brother in knowing if she didn't it would just be an earful from Carlisle and Esme. Drea also looked disappointed.

"Fight me." He told her forcefully. She threw a simple move and he blocked her powerfully almost throwing her out the ring.

"Fight me." He said again, shaking his head back and forth at her feeble attempt. " Or are you here just to have fun?"

She shoved him and he took her by her hair and slammed her face first into the ground. He could hear the words of protest and shock from his family as he did this but it did not break his focus.

"Fight me." He said a third time, " I will not ask again, I will just destroy so that no--" be began to taunt just as her knee came in contact with his face, a deep growl escaped her throat. Alice let out a quiet yelp at seeing that.

Hours passed, the two didn't hold anything about other than moves that they knew would end up killing the other or tempting them to.

"Use your powers," Jasper finally said after body slamming her into the ground. "Know your opponents move, know what they are feeling so that you can know the next move, know the goal so that you can deny him over and over again. You use to be able to do this, I know you can again."

He then was taken aghast by her left leg wrapping itself around his hip and flipping him so that he was under her, she pinned him with her forearm to his throat eyes full on purple and chanting to herself as she stared him down. He felt like someone was turning down the lights because clouds began rolling in and he felt numb. He could barely hear the others murmuring about the fast approaching storm front out of nowhere, all he could feel was everything going fuzzy and dark. Suddenly, he was free from his capture as a flash of white came across his eyes, the clouds above began to break up slowly as well. He shook his head to gather himself quickly, he put himself on high alert again jumping to his feet. He then realized what the white flash was. Edward was huddled in the corner with Drea in a bear hold whispering things to her. His family just stood there in shock, apparently she had come closer to ending him as any of them has ever seen.

"That is more than enough for today." Esme said, not being able to take anymore. "I'm serious." With that she turned and made her way into the house.

Alice made her way to Jasper's side to calm down the still riled up beast within him. Jacob scowled at the level of concern he saw in Seth toward the two boxers and with that decided to make his exit, he mussed up Bella's hair and then stood to call out to Seth it was time to go and he was leaving with or without him, but he should leave with him because it was obvious that the Cullens' needed a blood-sucker meeting.

Ignoring Jacob as usual, Rosalie made her way over to Drea side of the ring and leaned in, "Hey champ, let's go in and get you cleaned up."

Edward gave in to his curiosity and loosened his hold on Drea, silently asking her to read Rose's mind, Drea was in no place to object and opened the mental door for him to do this. Rose was sincere, after hearing Drea's story the revenge aspect reminded her too much of her own past to ignore. Plus, if Alice had Bella, she wanted a girl too….and hers could kick ass.

Edward rolled his eyes at this and let Drea go, she stumbled to her feet and jumped down to Rosalie.

"We'll be back" Rose tossed back as she put her arm through Drea's.

Seth just watched the two walk away, and then looked over to Jasper, still steaming.

"I'm staying, Jacob, I was not kidding. What's the point in leaving I have two more full days now."

"Two days? Look at the hour, you have a day and some change left. It's tomorrow already!" Jacob scoffed

"Well, then all the more reason to just stay." Seth smirked taking a seat next to Emmett. Without another word, Jacob jogged away, clenched fists and all. As soon as he was sure he was out of earshot, Seth sighed in relief.

"You know you cannot avoid him or the others forever."Edward said, quietly.

"Yeah. I get that. I am can't explain it to him, but I just cannot go yet. Not like this"

Seth answered aloud. Emmett looked at him confused.

"You know either way everything is going to be alright, She is an amazing fighter look—she might be able to pull this thing off and if not I don't doubt that she will at least be able to stop the army."

"That's not enough," Seth said quickly growing in stature and maturity in three short words. "I never had any intention on even pretending that her not coming back is actually an option."

"Whatchu talkin' bout, Clearwater? None of us want her to die, I mean look at her she's the only person alive that can actually handle my wife and she's a hottie. I think she honestly has a better chance of making it now than she did before. "

Seth grew angry, "Stop acting as if she is going to die."

"Seth," Emmett said sternly. "Stop acting like it is not a possibility.

"Hmm…" Bella interrupted clearing her throat, "I didn't even look at the time—no wonder I have missed so many calls from Charlie. He's going to be pretty upset."

She said making her way to Edward

"No, he won't Bella. I'll take you and explain that it was my fault for keeping you out so late." Alice chimed as Jasper was now completely calmed down, "say goodbye to Edward and I will meet you at the car."

Bella did as she was told; slightly relieved to be leaving the argument between two of her favorite guys and that her Edward would be there if anything bad were to happen. Alice and Bella left the boys to the backyard; to finish arguing what they all knew was a conversation that was going to have to be had out. As Bella and Alice passed through the house to say goodbye to Esme and Carlisle, Carlisle joined the men folk in the backyard. He looked up to the sky as he made his way to the boys, leaning on the outside of the ring in between Seth and Emmett on the outside and Jasper and Edward kneeling down on the inside.

"Seems to be far too beautiful of a night to have to talk about death." He sighed outwardly.


	13. What to talk about while skipping rocks

Hearing this topic come up again, visibly disturbed Seth as he growled again, " Can everyone stop talking like she is already dead?"

"Seth, I don't want to think about it anymore than you do. What do you think our options here are? She isn't going to take no for an answer and she's just sly enough not to disclose the location where any of this is happening. We cannot send out for reinforcements, she has no proof yet, and if she waits around to get it - thousands of people could die. She is considering it sacrificing herself to pay atonement for all the wrong she has committed. She knows something we don't; Esme and I are trying to figure out what we can do while she is here. Jasper we want so desperately for her to stay, if there is anything we can do let us know." Carlisle said grasping tightly to his shoulder then gently patting him on the back.

"Thanks Carlisle, hearing that means a lot to us." Jasper said, involuntarily nodding his head back to Edward. Edward couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Carlisle smiled tightly while nodding knowing it must be hard for the boys to have to say goodbye to someone who linked them so tightly—a relationship he knew Edward had looked forward to forging.

"What?" Seth spat, "That's it. That is all? I mean, I kept from saying this cause I assumed it was what all of us were thinkin' but I guess not…am I really the only one who isn't going to let her go? I mean really, look at her, they'll rip her pretty little face off and I am not going to let that happen. I''ll---I'll take the pack with me; I'll rip them with my own bare hands before I'll let her stand alone out there."

"SETH!" exclaimed Carlisle, " You cannot expect her to be able to work when she is distracted by keeping an eye out for you. You are not going out there."

"Oh what, 'this isn't my fight'? Saving the world 'isn't my fight'? Let me tell you Cullens something so listen hard, it was my fight the moment I walked in and saw her begging you people to understand her. You looking at your own kind as if she was the plague, and you—you were once her friend and you are going to let her go out there and kill herself? She knows she could die, she's probably not going to be so careful is she believes all is okay with her ain't comin' back. Well I am not, and I am man enough to say that it will be a cold day in hell before I let her go or go alone as a matter of fact. What kind of man are you?" Seth angrily threw at Jasper, his chest heaving at this point and veins in his throat popping.

"A real one, Seth. " Jasper shot back, jumping the ropes in one bound. "What are you suggesting? Tie a witch up and keep her in the basement until she comes to her senses. You think I want her to be gone? You think I want to go on without her? I cannot, I didn't before so how the hell would I now? I am not going to let her go and die, Seth."

"You are a liar!" Seth howled loudly, that is exactly what you are doing. There has to be a way to keep her from going, she listens to you. Make her stop."

He looked to Carlisle and pleaded to him the same thing, asking each of the guys individually to make her stop this. Jasper was beginning to grow angry and inpatient with the young one, speaking as if he was the only one out there with Drea in mind. As he was about to lose his restraint and take out the whiner, Rosalie and Drea came back outside, taking his fire away. Rosalie's hair was put in a lose bun and the strands of her golden hair fell delicately on her shoulders, her emerald green strapless sundress hugged her chest tightly and billowed the rest of the way down masking her feet. Emmett stood waiting to give her his seat, Drea followed soon after in a sheer burgundy halter dress of the same material, her bronzed tan complication shining under the rolls of curls her auburn and mahogany hair made. A smile grew on Edward's face as he read how nervous she was wearing the goddess Rosalie's things,

'Trust me.' Edward through back at her, " no one is comparing you to Rose in that.' He finished as he looked at every guy's face glued to the girls coming back out.

"Everyone goes silent? My my, Drea, if I didn't know better I'd say they all just got done talking about us or more specifically you." Rosalie said, guiding Emmett to sit back down as she graced his lap with her cocked her mouth to one side, unsure on how to take that. She slowly made her way to lean against the ropes of the ring facing Edward

"Beautiful." Jasper said so faintly he wasn't even sure he spoke the words aloud.

"Thank you." Drea said without smiling, She returned her eyes to Edward's "Can I talk to you?"

"Oh no," Emmett grunted, "not another walk. No offense, but listen, I like you Drea and Edward you know how I feel about you, puddin', but we are all friends now. Let's not waste time being all sneaky."

Carlisle just sent Emmett a look, and shook his head. " You do look wonderful tonight, Drea, I am glad you have given us the chance to help you on your journey. Please reconsider the length of your stay; I can see that you have made a friend in Rose, a feat very few of accomplished. I know that we can work out a better solution if we all—"

"Thank you, Carlisle. I appreciate at it, I have grown and I am already so much farther to my goal than I was just two days ago. I am more than confident in what I have to do and my abilities to accomplish said task. Edward?" She said offering her made his way out of the ring and took her hand, wrapping his arm through hers and beginning to walk, Seth crossed his arms across his chest glaring at the two as they walked away. Minutes later Jasper, jogged to catch up with them.

"Jasper?" Drea said once he came to stride side by side with Edward, "What's up?"

"Hmm? Oh , nothing. Just thought I would join you two."

"You know, technically, you could have joined us without having to join us." Edward reminded him. " Or asked."

"I don't know how true that is, I feel like I would be missing out on something if I weren't here. I cannot pick up every word that's being said if I am too far."

"Well then don't pick up every word said, Hale." Drea said stopping in her tracks, slightly annoyed at Jasper's honesty. " I mean really, I could have asked both of you out to talk but I didn't I need Edward for a minute, could you spare him?"

"Fine." Jasper said, shooting a look to Edward before retreating back to the house. It wasn't like Jasper to invade privacy or force himself on anyone, in fact, Edward had never seen him do that. Alice referred to him as an overprotective fool before, but what would Jazz have to protect Drea from if it was just the two of them. Edward shook these thoughts out of his head and decided to focus on the friend at this side.

"Penny for your thoughts." He said as they made their way to the banks of the river where they first shared a thought.

"You know they are all freely yours." She sighed looking at the reflections in the water. "I never thought that I would get so attached so quickly, I just assumed that Jasper's family would put up with my presence for awhile then send me on my way. I need to go Edward, and there isn't a person at that house right now that has any intention of letting me do that easily. Even Rose plans on fighting be about it. Don't look at me like that; I gave them as much privacy as I could until we heard you guys yelling about it from Rose's room."

Edward shook his head looking down at her; he spoke out the side of his mouth, "That was a lot of Seth and Jasper."

She laughed sarcastically and drug her fingers through her hair letting her face rest on her hand at this, "Oh, I know." She finally said.

"Then you know he loves you." Edward said walking away from her and taking a seat on a log that faced the water, motioning her to join him.

"Boy, you jump right in, don't you? I cannot do a thing about the way he feels. In a few days, I will not be here. What's the point of letting him entertain the thought that there could ever be anything between us ? Edward, I am not going to pretend that when I was out in that ring I didn't begin to honestly believe that maybe I can win this thing and not die trying. I am not going to count on that."

Edward sat there resting his elbows on his knees, watching her stand by the water banks, he sighed loudly breaking her trance. " Tell him. You know you want to , I know you want to. Tell him how you feel, why you feel that way, and how much you appreciate all he thinks of you."

"Edward, I have been in love once, it didn't work out for me."

"That was then."

"And nothing has changed now, I am not going to have what you and Bella have. I don't share the compassionate love that Carlisle and Esme hold, I don't have the fire that Emmett and Rosalie share. I cannot give the hope that Alice gives Jasper, I cannot even pretend I hold a candle to any of that. What do I have to offer? I am not going to try and start something when I have to go out and do this. If I get to return, I will do all I can to make it better for him." She said picking up a rock and skipping it on the waters' surface.

"If ? He's fought for you so hard for you, now he is fighting you for you, the least you can do is acknowledge his feelings. I am not asking you to fall head over heels, I am asking you to take those walls down and don't leave here regretting hurting someone who honestly cares for you." Edward said, accepting the fact that she wasn't going to go sit with him and joining her in skipping rocks, she made it look so graceful and effortless. " I feel like I am fighting a senseless battle here, Neladrynthia, I love you—you are just every much my sister as Alice or Rose is now, and it's only been one day. Unlike with what we have, you seem not to want to recognize the attachment you have built with anyone else already, but it's there I can see and feel it now. He cares so deeply for you.."

"HA! Cares for me you say? Cares? How 'bout wants to control me? Or bend to his will? Or just roll over and do what is easiest and no go into battle. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try. He doesn't know what love is." She answered skipping her rock two more paces than Edward's.

"He does. This isn't easy for him at all. When the truth comes out, it will rock his whole world. Nothing and no one will be immune to its effect." He said, accepting her challenge and skipping his next rock one more than hers.

"Well, good thing it'll never come out." She said turning to Edward and away from the lake.

"Gah, you are just as stubborn as Jasper."He commented simply throwing his last rock into the water ,"But it doesn't matter, I've read it when you weren't around, I've helped him come to terms with it, weather you want to admit it or not…Seth has imprinted on you."


	14. What he feels

She stood there hearing the words spoken aloud for the very first time made it more of an issue than when all she had to do was pretend like it wasn't there. Then his words truly sank in,

"You what?!?!?!" Drea asked playfully punching Edward in the arm

"You heard me, someone had to help the kid. I mean he cannot avoid phasing forever. Eventually he will have to go back to his pack, and have to explain to them why a vampire is the only thing he can manage to think about. I've seen his mind, I knew it well before you arrived; he is deeply in love with you. I wouldn't know how to describe it if I could—the change has been substantial. I know he has imprinted. That is the only excuse."

"Imprinted? You mean met a witch who's every job when she was his age was to manipulate and kill? I lured in thousands of souls and already died once when I was his age. I'm just different from all the girls he sees at school is all."

"That's an understatement," Edward scoffed turning away from the lake. "and from this point on, you will be all he will see. If you are so dead set on leaving, you have to give him a proper goodbye. It would absolutely kill him if he got anything less from you, we are talking haunt him for the rest of his life."

"Fine! I'll say something to him about." Drea said reluctantly, knowing that her friend was right on this one. "That's not all I wanted to talk to you about though and you know it."

"Jasper?" Edward said grinning

"No! For the record that is something we will never discuss, thank you!" Drea said scoffing at the idea " Edward, I have been out of commission for a long time, but I know when something isn't right. I know something horrible is about to happen, I can feel it in the air. I sense it in the house. A great danger will befall us all soon, and l've got to be ready."

"What are you talking about? The war? Is something here, Drea, let me in. I want to know exactly for myself." Edward said, losing any air of casualty he once held.

"I don't know Edward, but I can feel it. Can you not feel the dread? " She asked as she closed her eyes, "Taste the adrenaline? I brought you here cause I felt it why Jasper and Seth were fighting, the winds have changed and it brings something wicked."

For the first time, Edward really began to sense the difference in her and any other vampire, she had to be some sort of half breed. Her voice and everything about her seemed to be screaming a warning to get out.

"I feel it." He said barely above a whisper.

"Then you know I have no choice." She said grabbing and squeezing his hand slightly. "I am not infallible, I am not going to stand here and tell you that even on the off chance I survive that what will come back to you will be the same person that stands here now."

"What are you…."Edward began before being interrupted by Rosalie's yelling

"DREA, TELEPHONE!" She yelled and her voice echoed off the trees and sent ripples down the water's surface.

"Who would be calling?" Edward thought, as they both began to run toward the house.

Drea lept up the stairs and into the front door, as Emmett held the wireless just above her reach.

"Who is it?"Rosalie asked her curiously, raising one eyebrow as she switched the phone from hand to hand.

"I don't know, give me the phone and I guess we will find out!" She said jumping to snatch it from her grasp as Carlisle, Esme, and a returned Alice shortly-getting ready to head off on a drive with Jasper-- joined him in the front room.

"Give me a moment," she said as the eyes of the onlookers made her even more shy and nervous as usual. She stepped into the living room, as if this was going to stop a room full of supernatural beings from hearing, but thankful Carlisle did what he could to dissuade his family from intruding her privacy.

"Hello?" Drea breathed into the phone as lowly as possible.

"I have Charlotte." An all too familiar voice answered back quickly.

"Charlotte?" Drea said, realizing that this must be the reason why she was having a heightened sense of fear.

"Don't say another word, not aloud. Don't you dare try to tip them off, you do and they will die too. Get on the plane, Neladrynthia. Find me. I'm willing to make a trade. Peter will be waiting at the airport when you arrive. Take it from there." With that the phone line went dead

Drea knew that this was not an idle threat and tried desperately to cover her thoughts by thinking of anything else, but it was too late. Edward came busting through the room, leaving the others in the foyer.

"What was that?" He asked all but violently.

"Edward." She replied trying hard not to give anything away as she slowly pushed her resistance back up.

"No, don't force me out. I know something is wrong, l heard and felt it in your voice. Charlotte? You said Charlotte, is she okay?"

"Did the others hear anything, Where's Jasper?" Drea gasped

"No, and they just left, now stop stalling."

"Edward." Drea sighed, as she leaned into his chest, "Where's Seth?"

He took her by both shoulders and held her at arm's length. "You are leaving tonight, aren't you?"


	15. What cannot be denied

15- What cannot be denied

"You're leaving." He said again, almost exasperated at the idea and letting his hands ease down her arms.

"Edward, you know I am. I'm sorry." Drea said, shaking her head regrettably. She began to concentrate hard on putting up her mental barriers again. She couldn't afford to let his influence and good will effect any of her decisions.

"NO!"Edward protested, grabbing her again.  
Soon, he was overcome with such a piercing pain it was as if his mind was being serrated by a burning blade. He tried his best to hold on to her. He knew she didn't want to hurt him, she just needed him to stay away for his own safety--That much he could feel from her. The last thing he gave a damn about at this time was his own safety in all this, even if she did survive--she'd have the Volturi breathing down her neck and probably ready to shackle her into their way of life. He just wanted her to see that there was nothing worth losing it all for when there are no guarantees it would even work out in the end. She could die in vain, and that was simply overwhelming for him.

Edward began to fill himself grow angrier and angrier at the situation. It was crazy for someone who was so generous and so full of life to have to give it all up in order to stop someone made of pure madness. She gave up almost 87 years in hiding already, why in the world would it be up to her and her alone to give up her life after already turning over a fully lifetime? His mind began to fight back, he felt his strength regaining as he struggled to hold on tighter to the unspoken bond Drea and he had forged already, he knew she wouldn't like it but he didn't care. If she really wanted to hurt him or keep him out permanently she could have pressed him a lot harder than she was. He already made his decision. He didn't want, he needed her to live. Fighting her tooth and nail on this was the only way he could see himself having a chance of making that happen.

"I'm telling Jasper." The words sounded so juvenile and elementary after hearing them aloud, but it's the only thing he could think to say.

"Tell Jasper, Edward, I don't care! I have to go. Charlotte and Peter are in trouble and they have been all the family I have really known. Imagine if it was Emmett and Rose, you would be out that door already. Let me go. I have to handle this." Drea's tone had gotten remarkably more even and controlled. He could feel the remorse from her. She switched gears as realization swept over and she was at the mercy of Edward and what he saw fit.

"Do I not get to say goodbye to Seth now? Has things changed that much that you would rather me stay away? He is all I can really think about right now, and I know I should be formulating a plan of attack or away out of this but until I see him, there is nothing I am going to be able to do. Please let me out of your sight enough to do that." She choked out leaning her head on his chest as he embraced her. Several seconds passed before Edward had enough resolve to say anything,

"Seth. Seth, we can handle. Jasper might be far enough not to hear us, but he will return. If you aren't here when he gets back—there are not words for the hell he'll unleash for losing you twice without a word."

"EDWARD! Let's not get overly dramatic here. If I could stay, I would. Know that. I fell for you and your family, head over heels yet I cannot risk others' lives for my momentary happiness. We've been over this, this isn't new—yes, the circumstances have changed, but the outcome shall remain the same. I must go. Jasper will get over it. He did a pretty good job of that even before I died the first time."

She broke away from his touch and ran her fingers down the long burgundy dress that she once was more than happy to put on, now it just felt silly for her to have been so excited about dressing up with Rosalie. She sighed and rested a hand on Edward's face before turning away from him. This was it. This is what she had been preparing for so long. Yet it still felt so weird and awkward, as if she was doing the wrong thing, like her instincts were now unstable and not valid. She wanted to stay, she wanted to reassure every thought and need to her friend Edward, but she couldn't she physically couldn't.

She had to get out. She had to go outside and have the open world in front of her. She wanted nothing more than to bust through the back doors of the home to the manor and run, it was so strong a force it took her several moments to realize that she wasn't just thinking it she was moving toward the outside.

She threw the doors open and began to take in her last sights of the Cullen estate in all its outer beauty. Seth was lying in the boxing ring, mesmerized by the stars above in all their glory and what little light they shown on his situation, he jolted up at the sound of the door.

"Drea." He said growing fearful from the look in her face, " What is it?" He asked, bounding to his feet and over the ropes as she made her way down the steps mid run to him. She jumped into his unexpecting arms and just held him tight to her body. She ran a hand through his thick black locks and took in his scent. He didn't understand what was going on or why, but he could care less. His fantasy was coming true and he wasn't stupid enough to let it pass. He pressed one hand into her hair and the other traveled down her spine, curved the small of her back, and gripped into her skin as he picked her up. He buried his face into the crook of her neck as he inhaled loudly,

"I am so in love with you." He confessed.

"So I've heard." She responded quickly, burying her face in his hair, God she loved his hair. This was harder than she ever imagined. She knew she felt something for Seth, drawn to his compassion and faith since the moment she let her guard down. Never did she believe she would be capable of reciprocating his feelings.

He could feel her tense up under his hold after hearing his words, he continued.

"I don't care what you are; I am really into who you are. You are so brave and beautiful....now that I know you, I can't go without you. As soon as I saw you, I knew. It feels amazing knowing who you are made for--I never thought I'd imprint so soon."

He proclaimed squeezing her tighter. "If it's the age thing, I thought about it a lot. I don't think it's the issue some people make it to be. Edward is about your age, and I am barely younger than Bells. If it's meant to be it doesn't matter.I will be whatever you need me to be. I can love you better than anyone, I already do."

"Seth....." Drea began as reality set in again; she placed both hands on his shoulders as she started to break away from his grasp

"Seriously! I can do it! Whatever you need from me, I will do. I know you have been around for a long time and seen a lot, but I think that's why I was meant for you. You have had so much darkness; I will be your light." He professed, glancing up at the stars.

"Seth…." Drea started again more firmly, successfully peeling herself from around his form and placing both feet on the ground.

"Say it. Say that you feel the same way, I know you do. You have to." Seth said, not being able to control himself anymore. He took both sides of her face in his hands and forcefully pressed his lips against hers. A hand slid down from her face and around her waist, cradling her affectionately back to his body.

She relented for as long as she could before physically reassuring Seth of everything he already believed. She took an arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, standing on her toes to receive more leverage; the other hand buried itself in his hair. She felt him smile against her lips at this as he became more confident and let his hands explore. Drea felt any will power whatsoever begin to drain from her body, if she was going to have the strength to go, she was going to have to do it now.

"Seth." She muttered barely above a whisper between kisses. Seth just moaned in response and continued to roam her curves freely, pressing his hips into hers.

"Seth." She said again, separating the tight grasp his mouth had on hers. Again, the only response she received was a physical one as he let her be separated from him just long enough for him to take in some air before smashing his body against hers for several minutes.

"SETH!" Drea insisted; pulling his hands from places she should have never let them go. "I'm leaving tonight…Now. It's time."

The wind whipped around the contours of Alice's Porsche as Jasper took the winding roads far too quickly up the mountain trying desperately to leave all of the drama behind and away from Alice and his relationship. Alice reached over and took his hand, gently placing a kiss on the pulse of his wrist. He exhaled loudly, just having her near made things so much better in his life. He owed her so much; she was everything a man like him never deserved. She slowly stroked the back of his hand with her smooth, perfect fingers and smiled at him serenely, showing him all the patience and understanding that the world had to offer. She was so beautiful and perfect. It was more than obvious she was made for him, nothing in this world could appeal more to him than just the thought of living day-to-day by her side and showing her what it was she meant to him. He hated knowing that there was anything in his past that could break her smile, and he knew deep down that it truly didn't matter. What brought them together was a lot stronger than anything that would try to tear them apart. Drea wasn't something that would, Maria wasn't someone that could, what he was capable of wasn't something that mattered, but what he kept from her was something that threatened in his own peace and he knew he couldn't be any of what she deserved without giving it all. Sorting out all this in his mind and realizing how much time he wasted being worried about what was instead of what he could have been made him suddenly angry. His eyes darted up at the rear view mirror and the sight of the golden eyes that glared back sickened him. He had more than most would ever know, and even when he was a monster he was adored more than he ever deserved.

Although, he never believed the two worlds would meet. They did and it was selfish of him to keep all of what he knew now and what he felt then to himself. Why wouldn't he want to come clean? If he would have before, he might have been told years ago that Drea was alive. He would have had more time to process and his family wouldn't be so stressed now. Alice wouldn't be so tense and worried, constantly concerned with her family's reaction to Jasper's plight. She was so worried about his feelings and well being that the simple concerns that most women would have at the sight of a girl like Drea walking in their lives no longer fazed her. She was not worried about his faithfulness to her nor any longer jealous of the fascination others had with her. She didn't fault Rose for feeling pulled to her beauty or Edward's infatuation of the telepathic connection they shared. No, Alice's love and intentions were pure. She fought hard for them to be. She knew that harboring any ill will wouldn't change anything. So all she did was love and support the one that she vowed to stand beside for as long as they both shall live.

True, sometimes instinctual defense came up and it bothered her to know that her husband was so connected with another that words were unnecessary and not even time could diminish it. A connection that was so rooted to their cores that legions and legions of unholys shook at the mere sight of them, one that death couldn't shake because it was born of it. Death only prolonged it; she couldn't imagine what power such a bond bore from. Anything and everything she and Jasper shared had depth and meaning because of the love that it was manifested from. A hope the two of them had waited for their whole lives. Jasper just had to turn someone he didn't necessarily believe deserved it, why was that to be honored with such a gift? She shook her head at these thoughts. She told herself she wouldn't think so hard on the subject, but some things just didn't add up. Jasper sensed her change in spirit and began to slow the car down.

"I would give anything to know what you are thinking right now." He said quietly.  
Alice sighed, unable to commit to what she really wanted to ask him. What she really needed to hear him say. She tossed the options to and fro in her mind. Not wanting him to believe that she had any doubt in him in the least, nothing was going to part her from his side. Hurting him wasn't going to change anything, so why did she feel the need to pursue a line of questioning that would do just that? Realizing that her silence couldn't be reassuring, she spoke up.

"Are you sure you are telling me everything? I just feel like you are holding back." She confessed.

A lump gathered in Jasper's throat. Of course she would know that he wasn't telling her everything, she was his wife. She would be able to sense such things. She was as wise as she was gracious and loyal.

"Jasper." She said a little more authoritatively this time. Not ever realizing that she might not get the answer she wanted to hear. What was he not saying?

"Jasper!" She chimed again, more aggressively as she clamped a hand on his shoulder. His eyes slammed shut at her touch, shuddering at the words he was going to say to her.

"Alice, I didn't just show up one night and take her. Drea wasn't my best friend, she was my wife." He blurted out barely above a breath.  
He slowed the car even more, afraid to meet her glance, he had to see her though. He noticed the hand on his shoulder still gripped into him like a vice, unchanging at his word as if they were never spoken.  
"Jasper!" She bellowed  
Something was terribly wrong, he slammed on the brakes and turned to place her face in his. She was shivering from what seemed to be nerves. She wasn't even looking at him, she held her cell phone tightly in her hand and her face was contorted with anguish. She was far, far away from any conversation they were having. She was having a vision, one that was physically hurting her. Terror was all he could see in her eyes when she finally met his gaze,  
"Edward's leaving." She proclaimed, shocked at the revelation herself.

A mixture of rage, fear, and adrenaline filled Jasper's body as he revved up the engine and threw the car in reverse, narrowly missing the ledge. He whipped the vehicle around the right direction before flooring it down the mountain's winding roads. Alice just gasped for air, whatever she was seeing frightened her or overwhelmed her senses because of the lack of being able to see visions for a few days.

"Where he is going, Alice?" Jasper said between gritted teeth. Blinding fury sweeping over him.  
His hopes were if she could see Edward, then he was no where near Drea in the future. But then why would he leave? What was this? Some sort of elaborate plan so that Edward could get away unquestioned, just to meet up with Drea after? If he were Edward, it is how he would play it. Wait till his sister was far enough away, plan a complex escape and put all the effort in the world of going through with it--then change on the fly and be with the one Alice cannot see once it's too late for her do to anything about it. It is so self-sacrificing that it sounded just like Edward, not going to let her go alone no matter how much she begged him. Damn. Before he left the house all he sensed from Edward was purity in his intentions of wanting Alice and him to spend sometime together, he never read anything about needing Jasper has a distraction so that Alice could oversee anything. He knew his brother was getting quite powerful, but never did he expect him to be capable of manipulating his gifts in a way that would alter perceptions. The more it turned over in his head the more pieces he began to put together. Edward wouldn't have the capabilities to do all of those things--even if he did, he wouldn't. Something had to have happened. Something had to have altered the course that they had all planned to be on less than an hour ago.

"Alice, where he is going? What did you see?" Jasper asked a lot softer, building his understanding and trying not to scare his wife. He eased ever so softly off the gas pedal as it threatened to go through the floorboards.

"I---I-- I, don't know." She stuttered. Trying her best to concentrate hard on what she saw. "I cannot understand it."

She shook her head from side-to-side, trying desperately to wrap her head around the pictures that were flashing in her mind. Edward was not being himself in these images, he was hunting something. He was fully aware of his actions, but seemed to be taking ridiculous risks regardless. She hadn't seen her brother act with such abandon before, he seemed wild and untamed. Focused and yet working on pure instinct, his usual prim clothes were replaced by tattered and worn garbs and wild eyes watched his every move, waiting for him to make a mistake. She wanted to break through just watching him and tell him to run, tell him that the animals were far more dangerous than he imagined and might hurt him; he was hungry and could make a mistake if given the opportunity.

She saw glimpses of his face and she could see that he was pained from the inside, torn at something. He was attentive; she could see intensity in his face she had only seen once before. Bella. That was the only option. It's the only thing that made sense, with everything that was going—something was bound to break between Bella and him. As if on cue the phone that she had been waiting to ring finally did so, she opened it and put it to her ear

"GET HERE NOW!" Edward barked from the other end.


	16. When the truth comes out

Jasper swallowed a deep breath and took the curves of the road even more sharply

"Wait!!" Alice called out, shaken out of her trance. "Take me to Bella's."

"What?! Why? What do you see?" Jasper asked

"I DON'T SEE ANYTHING." Alice shouted, losing her cool in a rare display of anxiety. "I just…I just know that she needs me right now, something's going on. Edward's leaving and I've got to stop it."

"You've got to stop it? Alice, sweetheart, Edward is going to do what Edward---"

"Someone needs me, Jazz, I miss that." She admitted. "Someone needs me."

"I need you. I've always needed you. Do you believe there was ever a time when I didn't? Alice, I know that this is hard right now. Too hard, but I know you and I—we can make it. I just need you to hold off a little longer. Drea is ---."

"Taking you with her. One way or another, she is taking you with her." Alice finished for him, then sighed. "I know you love me."

Jasper shrugged and chuckled as he swerved onto the Swans' street, he didn't know what else to say. He was tired; no matter what he said or shared he was going to come out the bad guy on this one. He made a mistake, and it wasn't an honest one. There wasn't much more he could think to do to make it better. He didn't want to say anything about his previous marriage again. Not right now, she was obviously using Bella as a distraction from the far more serious problems the two of them faced.

"I know you do." She continued, "I love you Jasper. I just need to be useful, needed right now."

"I need you." He said putting the car into park in front of Bella's home.

"You don't. You need to figure out what you want to do and where you want to be. I obviously cannot help you with that." Alice said opening the door, she leaned in and placed a long kiss on Jasper's cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too." He said, under his breath. This is not the way he saw this conversation going, this is not how he thought Alice would react. He felt like such a fool for having her go through all of this but in his heart of hearts he did not know what to do or how to make it better. The facts weren't going to change and the only thing he could honestly do was from this point on out not ever let her feel as if she was second to anyone because truly in his heart she wasn't.

Alice gave him a quick smile before heading out of the door, as if she heard everything he was thinking but just didn't bring himself to say. He loved that about her. He watched as she made her way to the front door and turn to give him a small wave. As soon as she crossed the threshold, he threw the car in reverse and began to make his way to his home. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew good was not going to come from this. Alice could tell herself what she needed to hear all day, but if Edward was leaving, it wasn't because of Bella--not this time. Not directly anyway, maybe in the sense to save a dying world to prolong their time together –Edward was going with Drea. If he knew Edward, and the past few days he has beginning to know Edward more than he knew himself, Edward would be livid right at this point. Waiting to tear him a new one and pin all this impending doom on him, saying things like if he would have started out with the truth and nothing but the truth. Drea would have stayed. Whatever Edward would throw his way, he knew what he did and right or wrong it was the only fair way to handle things. If Drea planned on becoming a part of their lives he could totally understand the need to put it all on the table but the fact was she wasn't---87 years later and she still wasn't. Drea was going to be, yet again, just another painful memory in what could only be a few hours. Even if they did win, Drea wouldn't come back. Drea knew what Alice felt, and this alone would keep her at bay—she wished nothing but the best for Jasper and as long as Alice was not the focus on his life, his life wouldn't be whole.

He slung his car into the driveway, knowing that these last few moments before exiting would be the only ones of somewhat peace he would have for a long time. As soon as he opened the door, not even bothering to park the car in the garage, he was bombarded with waves of rage and sadness. Edward flung the front door open and took the steps in one bound, growling as his eyes met Jasper's. Emmett was close behind.

"You did this." The usual understanding brother said, barely containing himself, "You did THIS."

"How? What makes you think any of the way things have come about could possibly be how I would have wanted it? Seriously." Jasper asked, his words failing to stop his friend from continuing to angrily make his way into his space. Edward stopped inches away from his face.

"It's on you. If she doesn't make it, it's on you."

"How can you say that?" Jasper said through gritted teeth, his temper began to boil. He resisted the urge to destroy. "What more can I do?"

" Both of them." Edward continued, "Alice and Drea. I swear, it's on you ."

"What the hell are you talking about Edward?" Emmett demanded, twisting his brother around by the arm. This is the first he has heard of any of this and it was high time that the two new chummy friends let him in on what was really happening. "Speak." He said, darting his eyes between Jasper and Edward, "Someone around here is going to open their damn mouth and let me know something. Whatever it is, you two cannot do it alone and if it affects Alice to then I suggest you start talking fast."

Edward pushed Emmett's hands off of him, "Ask Jasper. Jasper, don't you think it's time? Now that it is too damn late? "

"I TRIED!" Jasper shot back, "I tried."

"Obviously not hard enough because she is leaving and I don't know that even if she did pull through she'd come back. " Edward snorted, " Maria's got Charlotte and Peter. If she doesn't get their soon, then Charlotte is done for. Peter is going to meet her at the airport, she won't let me know anymore than that."

Jasper looked at Edward wide-eyed and questioning. "What? Charlotte, how the hell did she get to Charlotte? What airport?", it took him a minute to understand the last part, "She won't let YOU know anymore than that? It's you."

"Well I am not you and she didn't come here for me. No matter what I might feel or how we might have connected, I am not you. She isn't here for me. She didn't come here for Rose or Seth. She came back for her husband, so her "protector" could do just that."

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!" Emmett interjected. "You are married to Drea too? When were you going to tell the rest of us? Don't you think that is a tad bit important? You are married to two women at once and one of them is about to die and then other one walks around like she is already dead…wait, does Alice know? How could you let Drea go back out there, you loved her once. We were all just playing it by your lead, Jazz, if you thought this was the best way to deal with it we were going to let it happen but—but –this, this is too much. No wonder she didn't tell you she was alive, she shouldn't have had to. You should have never stopped looking. That explains why she is so messed up." Emmett began to put pieces together.

"I tried!" Jasper repeated, feeling the scorn from Emmetts barade of questions. "What is done is done. I cannot take it back, I never stopped loving Drea, I just never started loving her the way she loved me." He admitted. "What did you want me to say? What did you want me to tell her?" He said, turning his back to the hostility he faced.

"She didn't come here to hear anything I had to say, the only reason she even walked through the doors was out of complete desperation. You heard her Edward, in face you feel her now. How do you expect me to start that conversation for closure, huh? 'I was young and stupid, just used you, then you proved useful—I eventually did love you but it was too late. I knew that something better was out there. '?"

"All she needed to hear was that you didn't hate her, she didn't ruin your life, and you weren't waiting for an excuse to be freed from being tied to her. You know that you heard in her thoughts, her prayers…Just could have let her known something, anything! Put your guard down and be real...you were so concerned about yourself that—" Edward began, as he turned Jasper around.

"I could care less about me, it was ALICE, how the hell is Alice going to feel? Huh? I cannot live in a world where I ruined hers, if Drea was content on this—and no matter what you say or how you feel now, I know Drea better than any of you ever will—she was not going to give up on this, she has prepared herself to die, I am not going to ruin everything for both of them." Jasper said, shoving Edward out of his face.

"Ruin it? Bitch, not too long ago you were preaching that you would never leave Drea's side, never have her walk alone…again. Now, you are ready to let her walk. I'm your best firend, who do you think you are foolin'?" Emmett growled after breaking up the two and holding them both by the shirts. You turned to Jasper, "You just didn't want to confuse yourself. YOU ALREADY CHOSE. Stop acting like that's the part that matters. Drea might have loved you once, but treatin' right doesn't mean she is going to fall head over heels for you and ruin your life or some shit like that. Even Rose sees that. Newsflash: She's into Seth."

Hearing Seth's name made Jasper failing as angry words seeped under his breath, Emmett just tightened his grasp on his shirt as Edward spoke,

"That's no news to him, that's what's got him so riled. That's why he is almost fine with what he's doing. He knows he loves Alice, you're right, but he cannot take that someone might be a better him for Drea. He hasn't cared for much of anything in this world--So he is taking it out on the whole world."

"That's enough!" Jasper exclaimed

"Why are you punishing her, Jazz? She didn't steal you--you weren't a servantgirl SHE decided to buy, manipulate into loving marry then kill. You married her, you are tied--" Edward jabbed

"ENOUGH!"

"NO!" Edward bgean, " Seth could make her happy and she was willing to give that up because she needed to die for what she did to those souls and to you. You are fine. Seth will never be fine. Ever."

"I said enough."

"It will NEVER…. BE….ENOUGH!" Edward finished, slapping Emmett's grasp off of him and stomping away toward the house.

Jasper let out a terrorsome howl behind him as he too broke from Emmett's hold.

"WHAT NOW, Edward? I am sorry, I am not you.....I'm...I'm..." He stammered as he slowly came to a halt in his pursuit of Edward. "Tell me I'm not the only one who smells that?"

Emmett swung around and dramatically inhaled deeply, "Oh....god." He said slowly, as he took another whiff.

The unmistakably scent of spilled blood filled the air, mangled in the damp dawn air that wafted on the wind from the banks of the lake. Immediately the scent was recognized and undeniably identified.

"SETH!" Emmett bellowed, moving in a flash quickly followed by Edward and Jasper, heading toward the banks of the lake. In the distance, they could hear the howls of wolves.


	17. When your mind's made up

The lake.

The three brothers set aside all the anger and fighting between them and sped full force to the shores of the lake. They did not know what they were going to find there but they knew it was going to be bad. The scent of Seth's blood was so strong, no small amount could have filled the air so immensely. Edward scanned the area for any sign of Seth's condition while Jasper did the same—trying to tap into his feelings as Edward still tried to hone in and some sort of conscious thought.

Nothing.

Emmett was the last to reach the water edge and the first to go in, not hesitating for a second. Jasper and Edward followed, quite aware that Seth's werewolf pack would be there in a manner of minutes. Jasper was worried, worried that if Seth was okay—they were not going to reach him in time.

'Don't go there yet, do not even think it—we moved as quickly as we could. We still have a chance.' Edward shot back at Jasper.

'Even if we do, there are only three of us here—everyone else is away, how are we going to handle the wolves and not start a war? We don't know what happened, yet one of there own is close to death on our property.' Jasper assessed their situation quickly, right before he realized what was happening between Edward and himself. 'Wait...'

'I can hear you!' Edward thought loudly, something that was impossible between the two without the presence of Drea.

'She's still here!' Jasper concluded, momentarily forgetting about the dire straights that young Seth was in at this time. 'She's...'

"THERE HE IS!" Emmett unknowingly interrupted the silent conversation going between the other two and brought them back to the reality of the situation.

Not far from where the three were, laid a figure,under a blanket of moonlight and broken on the rocks under the cliffs above as water cascaded mercilessly across the body of their friend in his wolf form. That would explain the approaching wolves. Jasper slowed down and glanced up to the place of origin of his fall-it was the same place Drea and he spent reconnecting the night that she arrived. If she was still there, that's where she would be. What caused Seth to fall? Did he fall? Jasper began to rack his brain trying to figure this out. Jasper squinted his eagle eyes trying to make out if her figure was still above, watching them below.

"Jasper, get over here!" Emmett commanded.

Emmett did not know what to do. He did not want to move Seth—or what was left of Seth. He dropped to his knees and tried to block the water from rushing over his face. Edward was doing the same, trying to make some sort of wall made of stones to protect the injured body from the elements. Jasper did not know what to do. He could hear the galloping feet of Jacob and the others making their way down and around to the banks where he once stood so that they too could make their way over to Seth.

"Jazz! " Emmett called again.

Jasper then sprung into action, finally realizing that he needed to do something. Edward had worked quickly and efficiently building a barrier to protect their friend, Jasper put his hands on the neck of Seth. Seth's body was mangled around the jagged, unforgiving rocks and his head was tucked into his chest. No one would want to land on what he did, but under the circumstances—at least his head didn't break against the stones that tore his body so. Jasper tucked his hands onto his neck and applied pressure, trying to tap back into his field medical training from the days he served as a solider. The wind picked up more creating larger waves, there were too many open wounds on Seth to try to figure which was causing the most damage.

"Oh thank god!" Emmett said suddenly.

Jasper took his eyes of his patient and sighed with relief along with Emmett and Edward. Carlisle and the others had returned home and he along with Esme were making their way over to them just a minute ahead of the werewolves.

"Even better." Jasper added to Emmett's announcement. He repositioned himself, trying to keep both him and Seth above the now violent waves and spat out all the water that got into his mouth from the continuous water breaking against the stone wall. " I found a pulse!"

"CARLISLE !" Edward called urgently.

There wasn't much more that the boys could do. They were literally in a horrible position, far below the steep cliff, too dangerous to try to carry him up. The water was too unpredictable to try to carry him above the water without him getting more damaged. There was barely enough room on the rocky banks for the four bodies that were there now. It took Carlisle and Esme no time to cross the lake and they quickly arose from the deeps, quick as gazelles they lept from rock to rock to make their way over—Carlisile stopping in front of Seth and helped Jasper and Esme jumped effortlessly above their heads and latched on to the rocky wall and leaned down by one arm.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" She asked, shaking the hair out of her face in the wind.

"We don't know!" Edward informed, " We were in the front yard when we smelled his spilled blood. That's it, you guys came in right behind us."

"Better hope they take that has an answer..."Carlisle motioned toward the shore across from them has he tried to get a better look at Seth.

Jacob stood surrounded by burly wolves all on high alert and bearing their teeth. None of the animals were jumping into the lake and Jacob in his human form seemed to be the one willing to cross. The water almost represented a new boundary line between the two creatures and symbolically Jacob was the one to make the trek, walking as far into the water as possible before having to start paddling strongly. He was a strong swimmer, but was emotionally compromised and it showed. Carlisle and Jasper were as careful as possible trying to stabilize Seth. The water rushing against the gashes on his tangled legs could not be helping his condition.

Emmett kept his eye on Jacob, not wanting to see him go too far below the water, as he threw a question up to his adoptive mother. "Esme, where's Rose?"

He did not like the looks of those angry, werewolves on the shore and wanted her far from danger if she couldn't be by his side.

"She's picking up Alice, we smelled the blood from the driveway and tried to call all of you. She was the only one that answered. Rose is going to pick her up from the Swans. Edward apparently Alice believes she is helping Bella through YOUR leaving to hunt. Rose nor I had the heart to tell her that you were here covered in Seth's blood for reasons none of us knew."

"As long as she is no where near those dogs." Emmett said, "What are we going to tell them?"

"Exactly what we know, somehow Seth was up there and now he is down here." Jasper said as he and Carlisle straightened up Seth's body for transport slowly but surely. "and it just so happened to occur on our property."

"Wait!" Edward chimed in among all the chaos, "Bella thinks I am leaving her?"

"Oh Alice had a vision where she saw you being hunted or hunting or –something, she assumed you and Bella were fighting and you needed to go. She was going to go be with Bella." Jasper filled in quickly.

"She thinks I'm leaving her? Does Bella believe that?" Edward turned.

"GUYS! Could we have this conversation later? I think we have more important things to handle." Emmett growled.

Jacob made his way out of the water, on to the shore. The dark color of the water made him wince as its usually blueish hue was replaced by the darkness that Seth's blood tinted. Jacob shuttered at the thought and made his way hand over knee to where the Cullens gathered around Seth.

"Jacob, we have no idea what has caused Seth to be in this condition but we are doing the best we can to stabilize him for transport. He needs emergency medical care,we can do what we can for him if we can get him to the house. The others cannot stand in the way of this though, we are risking his life with every moment that passes. Please do not stand in our way or allow the others to barter with Seth's life in order to continue this feud. It is not worth it." Carlisle pleaded, as Jasper made his way into the water ready to take the weight of Seth on his body as a raft of sorts and let the others slowly and carefully pull the two across.

"No one is going to stand in your way," Jacob said quietly as he knelt down beside his friend, taking in just how bad off Seth was. "We are here to be with Seth."

"He's alive and we are going to do all we can to keep it that way." Esme promised, jumping off the wall and lightly landing above Seth to leap over the others and join Jasper in the water. "Let's hurry, the faster we get him to safety the sooner we can piece together what happened. Come on guys."

"We know what happened.." Jacob said quietly as he watched Carlisle and Emmett carefully place Seth on top Jasper's chest, who tried to make himself as still as possible and hold on to Seth's fur as Esme wrapped her arm around Jasper's shoulders and began to pull and Edward carefully pushed his feet. Carlisle and Emmett flanked on either side. Jacob followed, not allowing himself to be dragged along by a Cullen.

The water continued to be merciless and although they moved quickly, it didn't make anything any easier. The wolves on the shore just parted as they carried the body to the house in silence. The door was left wide open but none of the tribesmen dared move too close to the house other than Jacob who didn't hesitate to do anything to stay beside his friend's side. Carlisie's mind was racing trying to logically think of the next step. Emmett broke the silence,

"Jake, you said you knew what happened to him out there. How did he get like this?"

Jacob, just glanced over his shoulder to his wolf brethren. The largest one just nodded at Jacob. Jacob sighed, no one was thinking about a war between them at that moment.

"Seth jumped."

"What?" Esme said as she got a pillow to place under Seth's head on the rug.

"We know he jumped, on his own will."

"Why?" Jasper shot.

"He couldn't keep his secret any more. He phased, got close enough to the line to call out to us, then met that witch up on the cliff...and..." Jacob stopped as his words lodged themselves in his throat. "He wanted all of us to come to him, he wanted to give her time to run. He thought it was the only way—if we all had to take care of him, we wouldn't have time to catch her. We'd hear how much all of this was his choice and she tried to stop him, that's the only reason she went up there was to talk him out of it."

Jasper forgot for a moment that she was there when they arrived to the scene, Edward shifted his attention from assisting Carlisle with the dressing of Seth's manageable wounds to Jacob's news while Esme continued working as she phoned Rosalie to break into Carlisle's workplace and pick up several quarts of blood along with some more medical supplies.

"Down you two." Jacob said, noticing the peaked interested of the two. brothers "She is gone. She was completely out of the area before we even reached the shore. We crossed her path and barely missed her. She was heading north."

"He was willing to die for Drea in order to give her a chance to save us all?" Esme said, putting the phone down.

"He was willing to, he isn't going to get the chance. We aren't losing him tonight." Carlisle said, working feverishly and shouting orders to Emmett to keep applying pressure. "I...there isn't a good way to say this, I am sure you all are aware how crucial the next few hours are. He is a fast healer, but there is almost too much work to be done. If we do not get his bones reset and that blood here quickly...Seth will never be the same."

Edward looked around at his family, he knew that Rosalie and Alice working together would make short work of their mission and under Carlisle and Esme's care along with the wolves supervision—Seth was as safe as he could be, there was nothing much more he could do for anyone there.

"I must go." Edward announced, " Keep me updated . I will be back as soon as possible. I know Seth can pull through this, he has the best motivation to do so."

"Edward!" Esme objected her hands busy along with Emmett's and Carlisle's.

"Esme! I have to go. I must at least try to find her. It will be impossible for me to do so when the girls get back, I know you guys will take care of Bella and Seth. I can't stand here knowing he's willing to make a sacrifice and I wasn't even willing to make sure she got where she needed to be safely." He kissed the top of Esme's head and Carlisle caught his eye briefly and continued to work on Seth, not objecting to Edward's announcement. Edward took that as all the approval that he needed and rocketed out of the house, not far on his trail was Jasper.


End file.
